Arkansas's first year of mandatory third-grade retention for low reading scores has produced a wide gap between students flagged for potential retention and those actually held back, as districts across the state used good-cause exemptions at rates that varied by district from under 70 percent to nearly 100 percent. The 2023 LEARNS Act, which took effect at the end of the 2025-26 school year, requires third graders to score Level 2 or higher on the Grade 3 ATLAS English language arts summative assessment to be promoted to fourth grade, unless they qualify for one of several good-cause exemptions.
Assessment results and the retention threshold
On the 2023-24 baseline ATLAS assessment, 27 percent of third graders scored Level 1, described by the state as indicating limited understanding, according to the ATLAS assessment program's annual technical report. That represented roughly 9,500 of the state's approximately 35,000 third graders. Another 37 percent scored Level 2, 23 percent scored Level 3, and 14 percent scored Level 4. Statewide, 64 percent scored at or above Level 2, the promotion threshold, and 37 percent reached proficiency, defined as Level 3 or above.
Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said in an interview that the cohort of third graders in the 2024-25 school year would have resulted in roughly 10,000 students at risk of retention if the requirement had been in place then. The current cohort of third graders was in kindergarten when the LEARNS Act was signed in March 2023.
Exemption rates in Pulaski County and beyond
In the Little Rock School District, about 400 of roughly 1,400 third graders scored Level 1. Of those, about 380 received good-cause exemptions. Among 93 students who did not initially qualify for an exemption, 75 completed a summer retest, and 37 of those scored Level 2 or higher. The district projects that about 50 students, less than 4 percent of third-grade enrollment, will be held back for the 2026-27 school year. That compares with only 6 third graders held back in the 2024-25 school year, before the law took effect.
In the North Little Rock School District, 173 of 569 third graders scored Level 1, or about 30 percent. Of those, 116 received good-cause exemptions. The district will hold back 76 students, about 13 percent of total third-grade enrollment. In the 2024-25 school year, the district held back just one third grader.
In the Pulaski County Special School District, 220 of 811 third graders scored Level 1, about 27 percent. Of those, 152, or roughly 69 percent, received good-cause exemptions. The district will hold back 35 students, about 4 percent of its total third-grade enrollment of 847, though that number includes some students held back for reasons other than test scores, such as chronic absenteeism. The district held back 2 third graders in 2024-25.
In the Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District, 117 of 334 third graders scored Level 1, about 35 percent. Of 131 students who scored Level 1 on either the initial test or a retake, 96 received good-cause exemptions. The district will hold back 21 students, about 6 percent of total enrollment.
The Springdale School District, the state's largest by enrollment, saw the highest exemption rate among those reporting. Of about 1,574 third graders, 403 scored Level 1. Of those, 390, or almost 97 percent, qualified for good-cause exemptions. English language learners were the most common exemption category, and about 48 percent of the district's total population are ELL students. Just one student who did not qualify for an exemption scored Level 1 on the retake.
Statewide counts delayed and baseline disparities
Oliva told the Legislature's Joint Education Committee in May 2026 that a firm statewide count of retained third graders would not be available until after the 2026-27 school year begins, because some students retook the ATLAS through June 30 and the department must calibrate and load final testing data.
On the 2024 baseline ATLAS data, a dozen of the state's 250 public school districts reported that at least half of their third graders tested at Level 1 in reading. The Blytheville School District in Mississippi County had the worst results: 70 percent of its 109 third graders scored Level 1 and 26 percent scored Level 2, meaning only about 5 students reached proficiency.
How other states have fared
Arkansas's pattern of broad exemption use is not unique. Indiana implemented a third-grade reading retention law, and after the 2024-25 school year, roughly 3,000 students were held back. Of the 10,663 students who did not pass Indiana's iREAD exam, 6,950 received good-cause exemptions, meaning about 65 percent of non-passing students were exempted, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette citing Chalkbeat.
As of 2024, at least 13 states and Washington, D.C., required students not reading at grade level to be held back, and another 13 states allowed districts to make their own retention decisions, according to the Education Commission of the States, as reported by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Research evidence on retention and the role of support
The Education Commission of the States reports that studies on the effectiveness of third-grade retention on literacy show mixed results. Some reports suggest retention can bring short-term benefits, but others find that academic outcomes diminish in the long run when retention is not paired with other interventions.
A 2021 study by the Education Trust found that third-grade retention efforts harm students in the long term unless they are reinforced by further academic support. That finding underscores the importance of the LEARNS Act's mandated interventions for retained and exempted students alike.
A survey published in April 2025 by the Fordham Institute found teachers skeptical of retention as a strategy. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said it is ineffective because everyone knows most students will not really be retained. The remaining 49 percent were evenly split on whether the strategy benefited or harmed students.
Mandated interventions and early results
Under the LEARNS Act, all students who fall short, including those who receive good-cause exemptions, must receive intensive supports: at least 90 minutes daily of evidence-based literacy instruction, assignment to a highly effective teacher, a read-at-home plan, and priority for literacy tutoring grants. Before the retention requirement took effect, Arkansas districts held back about 2,500 students total in kindergarten through third grade in the 2024-25 school year, according to DESE Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith.
State education officials reported that overall ATLAS proficiency, measured as students scoring Level 3 or above across all grades and subjects, rose from 36.9 percent in spring 2025 to 42.2 percent in spring 2026. ADE spokeswoman Kaelin Clay attributed the gains to screening in kindergarten, early intervention, transparent communication, 120 literacy coaches, and tutoring grants.