North Little Rock School District, AR

Original Research by School Decision on North Little Rock School District

The North Little Rock School District serves about as many students as a mid-sized city district, covering pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It operates roughly a dozen elementary schools, a middle school along with a separate sixth-grade campus, a traditional high school, and a center of excellence. The district is the sole public school system for the city of North Little Rock, a community that sits across the Arkansas River from the state capital, and it also draws a small portion of students from the adjacent city of Sherwood.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a significant Hispanic population and a smaller White enrollment. The racial and ethnic composition is worth noting because it reflects a majority-minority district in a region where many surrounding districts serve largely White student populations. The district runs an early childhood center, which feeds into a set of elementary schools spread across different neighborhoods, so the experience a family has can vary notably by school attendance zone.

State testing results are available for the 2024-2025 school year, and they paint a challenging picture. In math, the share of students scoring at proficient or above drops sharply as grade levels rise. The strongest performance appears in the early elementary grades, where roughly three in ten students meet the state's proficiency bar. By eighth grade, that figure falls to about one in fourteen. Reading and English language arts follow a similar pattern, with the highest proficiency rates in fifth grade and a steep decline in middle school. Science scores follow the same arc, with fifth grade again the relative high point and sixth through eighth grades far lower. Across all tested subjects and grades, the district's overall proficiency index sits slightly above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Pulaski County, but that average masks the clear divide between elementary and middle school performance. Parents with middle-schoolers may want to ask the district directly about how it supports students who enter those grades below grade-level benchmarks.

Chronic absenteeism is a pronounced concern. The district's rate falls in the bottom quartile among its county peers, meaning a substantial share of students are missing enough school to affect academic progress. Without in-school attendance data, a family cannot easily gauge how individual schools within the district compare, but the district-wide figure is a red flag that warrants a conversation with a principal.

Voters approved a millage increase in 2021 to fund a new high school building, which opened in August 2023 and now serves grades nine through twelve. That facility represents a major capital investment and a lasting property-tax impact for residents. At the same time, the district is rolling out a career and technical education program for the 2025-2026 school year, with pathways in healthcare, welding, and information technology that can lead to industry certifications. That is a concrete addition for high school students seeking a non-college or college-alternative credential before graduation. The district also adopted a new K-5 English Language Arts curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading framework, a statewide requirement, but one that marks a real shift in how elementary reading is taught.

Per-pupil spending lands in the middle range among Pulaski County districts, just above the midpoint, so the district is not notably underfunded relative to its neighbors. Housing costs within the district boundaries vary widely by ZIP code. Some areas, particularly the 72116 ZIP code, have home values well above the district average, while the 72114 area sits significantly below it. Rent follows a similar spread. This means a family's experience of the school system may be tied as much to which part of North Little Rock they live in as to the district's overall profile.

The civil rights data, staffing ratios, and course access information were not available in the provided records, so a fuller picture of class sizes, discipline patterns, and program availability would need to come from the district itself.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

7,850

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 14%

Black 58%

White 21%

Asian 1%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

14 schools are officially reported under this district.

RIDGE ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AMBOY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BOONE PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CRESTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

GLENVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

INDIAN HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NORTH LITTLE ROCK MIDDLE SCHOOL

MEADOW PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PIKE VIEW EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

SEVENTH STREET ELEM. SCHOOL

NORTH LITTLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL

NORTH LITTLE ROCK CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

NORTH LITTLE ROCK MIDDLE SCHOOL 6TH GRADE CAMPUS

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

29%

Grade 3

28%

Grade 4

30%

Grade 5

17%

Grade 6

14%

Grade 7

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

25%

Grade 3

27%

Grade 4

33%

Grade 5

16%

Grade 6

17%

Grade 7

17%

Grade 8

Science

6 grades reported

21%

Grade 3

27%

Grade 4

30%

Grade 5

13%

Grade 6

20%

Grade 7

17%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$150,347

Year-over-year change-0.9%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$86K to $248K

vs. state typical0.68x

vs. national typical0.41x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
72114	North Little Rock	$86K	-9.8%	28.5%
72118	North Little Rock	$132K	+1.7%	25.8%
72116	North Little Rock	$248K	+3.8%	23.4%
72117	North Little Rock	$148K	+2.6%	21.5%
72120	Sherwood	$234K	+4.6%	0.8%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,076/mo

Year-over-year change+2.2%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$1,001 to $1,541/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
72114	North Little Rock	$1,159	+0.8%	28.5%
72118	North Little Rock	$1,001	+4.1%	25.8%
72116	North Little Rock	$1,096	+1.8%	23.4%
72117	North Little Rock	$1,016	—	21.5%
72120	Sherwood	$1,541	+6.3%	0.8%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$759/mo

Home price / national median income1.8x

Annual rent / national median income15.4%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$317/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.