The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Math. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Friendship Aspire Academies Arkansas
Friendship Aspire Academies Arkansas is a charter school district serving kindergarten through ninth grade across a network of schools in Pine Bluff and Little Rock. The district was formed in 2022 through the merger of three previously separate charter school districts. Campus names changed following that consolidation, a structural shift that remains the overarching fact of how the district is organized and governed today.
The student body is heavily concentrated in the elementary grades, with enrollment tapering sharply in middle school and becoming very small by ninth grade. The district’s racial composition reflects the communities it serves: the vast majority of students are Black, with a much smaller share identifying as Hispanic and a very small number of White, Asian, or multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were counts for students with disabilities or English learners.
Academically, the picture is mixed and warrants close attention. On Arkansas’s ATLAS assessments, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science across grades three through eight fall well below the state average. In most grade levels and subjects, roughly one-quarter or fewer of students scored at the proficient level or above. The strongest results appeared in third-grade math and science, where a somewhat higher share met the bar. Performance declined in the upper elementary and middle school grades, with seventh and eighth grade proficiency rates in all three subjects landing in the low to mid-twenty-percent range. The district’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places the district above the midpoint among Jefferson County’s districts, though it is important to note the district’s performance overall is low in absolute terms. A parent may want to investigate how the district supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, particularly in the upper grades.
Chronic absenteeism, a measure of how often students miss a significant number of school days, is reported well below the county median, suggesting that attendance is a relative strength here. The district’s per-pupil spending lands in the upper half of the middle range among Jefferson County districts, reflecting above-average financial investment in its schools. No graduation rate is reported, as the district serves only through ninth grade and has not yet graduated a cohort.
The district runs seven campuses spread across Little Rock and Pine Bluff. Some are elementary-only, and others serve middle grades. The small ninth-grade enrollment suggests the district is still building out its high school program. For a family considering this district, the key variables are the elementary-grade focus, the very low proficiency rates that become more pronounced in middle school, and the fact that the district is in a period of structural consolidation that has reshaped its identity. The district fits a family that values a charter option in these communities and wants to engage directly with school leadership on academic support. For families prioritizing strong test-based outcomes, these numbers will give them pause.
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