Fort Smith School District, AR

Original Research by School Decision on Fort Smith School District

Fort Smith School District is the public school system serving the city of Fort Smith and the surrounding area in western Arkansas. It is a large, full-service district enrolling students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district operates more than two dozen schools, including a range of elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as an alternative center and a virtual academy. This is a system built for scale, with a wide variety of educational settings within its boundaries.

The student body is notably diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed closely by a substantial Hispanic population. Black, Asian, and multiracial students each represent meaningful portions of the enrollment as well. This mix gives the district a distinctly multi-ethnic peer environment, one of the most varied in the region. The grade-by-grade enrollment numbers are consistent across the elementary and middle years, with no major spikes or drops that would suggest a pattern of families leaving for private or charter options at a particular transition point.

On state assessments, the district’s proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science cluster in a similar range from third through eighth grade. While there is some variation by subject, the overall picture is one of performance that falls below the midpoint among Sebastian County's districts. A parent looking at these numbers will see a school system where a majority of students are not yet meeting the state’s proficiency benchmarks, a pattern that holds fairly steady across all tested grades. This is a soft spot in the district’s profile, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what academic interventions and support structures are in place.

Chronic absenteeism is a notable challenge. The district’s rate sits above the midpoint among its county peers, meaning a higher-than-typical share of students are missing a significant number of school days. This can be a signal of broader family and community needs that the district must address alongside academic instruction. Per-pupil spending, by contrast, is in the upper range of the county’s districts, indicating that the system is putting significant resources into its operations relative to neighboring systems.

Housing in the district’s footprint varies widely by neighborhood. Some areas have more modest home values, while others reach a higher price point, giving families a broad spectrum of options depending on where they choose to settle. Rental prices follow a similar spread. The district’s weighted home value sits below the national benchmark, which aligns with Fort Smith’s position as a mid-sized Arkansas city with a cost of living that is generally more affordable than much of the country.

The district has made a few publicly reported moves in recent years that are worth noting. Voters approved a property tax increase in 2021, which was then partially rolled back by the school board in 2023. That sequence left the millage rate at a level between the old rate and the post-2021 peak, a shift that directly affects the local tax burden. In 2022, the district opened the Peak Innovation Center, a career and technical education facility that offers high school students tuition-free programs in fields like advanced manufacturing and health sciences. This is a clear strength, expanding the district's academic pathways beyond the traditional college-prep model and giving students a direct line to workforce training and industry credentials.

For a family considering this district, the picture is mixed. The scale and diversity of the student body are plain characteristics that will appeal to some and be a preference issue for others. The career-tech investment is a meaningful asset, especially for students interested in a non-traditional postsecondary route. The test scores and absenteeism rates are areas that warrant a closer look, and the district’s recent tax history means local residents have seen real changes in their school funding and property tax bills in a short span of time. A parent will want to visit individual schools, talk to teachers and principals, and understand which programs and support services are available at their child’s specific campus, as this is a system large enough that experiences can vary considerably from one school to the next.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

14,060

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 36%

Black 10%

White 37%

Asian 5%

Two+ 12%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

27 schools are officially reported under this district.

BALLMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BARLING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BELLE POINT ALTERNATIVE CENTER

BONNEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CARNALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CAVANAUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

L. A. CHAFFIN MIDDLE SCHOOL

ELMER H. COOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL

FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HOWARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOL

HARRY C. MORRISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

RAYMOND F. ORR ELEM. SCHOOL

PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

RAMSEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

SPRADLING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SUTTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TRUSTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JOHN P. WOODS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TILLES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

EUPER LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

FORT SMITH VIRTUAL ACADEMY

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

33%

Grade 3

38%

Grade 4

34%

Grade 5

36%

Grade 6

37%

Grade 7

32%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

31%

Grade 3

37%

Grade 4

36%

Grade 5

33%

Grade 6

30%

Grade 7

34%

Grade 8

Science

6 grades reported

31%

Grade 3

33%

Grade 4

30%

Grade 5

31%

Grade 6

34%

Grade 7

38%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$202,958

Year-over-year change+0.9%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$118K to $324K

vs. state typical0.91x

vs. national typical0.55x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
72903	Fort Smith	$242K	+3.3%	27.5%
72904	Fort Smith	$118K	-3.4%	23.2%
72901	Fort Smith	$139K	+1.3%	14.8%
72908	Fort Smith	$232K	+2.9%	13.0%
72916	Fort Smith	$324K	+0.3%	12.5%
72923	Barling	$195K	+2.5%	8.6%
72941		$242K	+3.9%	0.5%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,121/mo

Year-over-year change+3.5%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$816 to $1,585/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
72903	Fort Smith	$1,204	+4.2%	27.5%
72904	Fort Smith	$867	+1.3%	23.2%
72901	Fort Smith	$816	+6.2%	14.8%
72908	Fort Smith	$1,299	—	13.0%
72916	Fort Smith	$1,585	+3.2%	12.5%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,024/mo

Home price / national median income2.4x

Annual rent / national median income16.1%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$97/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$222,300 (+3.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.