Fountain Lake School District, AR

Original Research by School Decision on Fountain Lake School District

Fountain Lake School District serves kindergarten through twelfth grade in Garland County, Arkansas. The district operates three schools: an elementary school, a charter high school, and a middle school that also houses a digital prep academy. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population representing the largest minority group. The district draws from a wide geographic area that includes parts of Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, Benton, Lonsdale, and smaller communities such as Mountain Pine and Paron. Housing values vary considerably across these zip codes, with more affordable options in parts of Hot Springs and higher values in areas like Hot Springs Village and Paron. The weighted average home value in the district sits above the state median but below the national median, and rental costs are moderate relative to typical household incomes.

On state assessments, the district showed a mixed picture. In the early elementary grades, a solid share of third graders met proficiency in math and reading, and third grade science was a relative bright spot. As grade levels advanced, however, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science tended to decline, with fifth, sixth, and eighth grade results in several subjects falling well below half of students reaching the proficient bar. Seventh graders performed better, with nearly half proficient in math and science and two in five proficient in reading. Overall, the district's combined proficiency index sits above the midpoint among Garland County's districts, meaning the average performance across tested subjects and grades is neither at the top nor at the bottom relative to nearby districts.

Chronic absenteeism is a clear area of concern. The district's rate is the highest among the county's districts, landing in the bottom quartile. This is a metric a parent may want to ask the school about directly, as it can affect continuity of learning and how the school supports students who miss significant instructional time.

Per-pupil spending is in the middle range, leaning toward the upper half of the county's districts. That suggests the district is not underfunded relative to its neighbors, though spending alone does not indicate how resources are deployed. The district's graduation rate was not available in the data provided, so that is a gap a prospective family would want to clarify with the district office. No information was available on disciplinary rates, course access such as Advanced Placement or dual enrollment, staffing ratios, or the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, which would give a fuller picture of student need and school resources.

The district brief found little in the way of recent major changes or new initiatives of lasting impact. The district appears to have been operating on a steady footing, without recent bond measures, leadership turnover, or program overhauls that have been publicly reported. For a family considering this district, the central question is how the school addresses the drop-off in proficiency that appears between early elementary and the upper grades, and what approach the district takes to reduce chronic absenteeism. The housing market in the district offers a range of entry points, from lower-cost areas around Hot Springs to more expensive suburban and lake-area communities, so family budgets may find different fits within the same district boundary.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,212

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 8%

Black 1%

White 86%

Asian 0%

Two+ 4%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

FOUNTAIN LAKE ELEMENTARY

FOUNTAIN LAKE CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

FOUNTAIN LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL COBRA DIGITAL PREP ACADEMY

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

59%

Grade 3

44%

Grade 4

25%

Grade 5

30%

Grade 6

46%

Grade 7

28%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

52%

Grade 3

43%

Grade 4

26%

Grade 5

30%

Grade 6

40%

Grade 7

27%

Grade 8

Science

6 grades reported

53%

Grade 3

37%

Grade 4

32%

Grade 5

30%

Grade 6

45%

Grade 7

33%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$282,732

Year-over-year change+3.0%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$123K to $343K

vs. state typical1.27x

vs. national typical0.77x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
71909	Hot Springs Village	$305K	+2.0%	32.7%
72087	Lonsdale	$291K	+5.4%	24.4%
72019	Benton	$290K	+3.8%	22.6%
71901	Hot Springs	$211K	+0.1%	17.3%
72122	Paron	$343K	+7.0%	2.4%
71913	Hot Springs	$262K	-0.5%	0.5%
71956	Mountain Pine	$123K	-2.8%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,627/mo

Year-over-year change+3.5%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,085 to $1,863/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
71909	Hot Springs Village	$1,863	—	32.7%
72019	Benton	$1,574	+2.2%	22.6%
71901	Hot Springs	$1,267	+5.1%	17.3%
71913	Hot Springs	$1,085	+7.5%	0.5%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,427/mo

Home price / national median income3.4x

Annual rent / national median income23.3%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$201/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.