Riverside East Elem. School, Caraway AR

Original Research by School Decision on Riverside East Elem. School

Riverside East Elementary School sits in Caraway, a small farming community in the Arkansas Delta that is part of the Jonesboro metropolitan area but retains a distinctly rural character. The town has seen its population decline in recent years, and the local government reports that it is working to attract new business and development. Housing values in the area are below both the state and national benchmarks, and the typical home is affordable relative to national household income levels. The school itself serves grades kindergarten through sixth, and it is one element of the Riverside School District, which was formed through a consolidation years ago that brought the former Caraway district into a larger system.

The school has a small student body. The demographic makeup is overwhelmingly white, with a modest Hispanic population and very few students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a community with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

Academically, the state assessment results on the Arkansas ATLAS test show that proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades are generally below the midpoint among districts in Craighead County. In math, the performance was weaker than in English language arts in most grades. For example, the share of students reaching the proficient level in math was in the single digits in third grade and remained in the low to mid-twenties in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. In English language arts, the rates were higher, ranging from about a third of students to just under half, with the strongest result coming from sixth grade. Science results were mixed, with third and fourth grade hovering around a third proficient and a slight uptick in sixth grade, where just over half of students met the bar. This pattern, with sixth graders performing notably better in both English and science than their younger peers, is something a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand what is working at that level.

Because the school serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available. The school does not appear to offer specialized programs or accelerated coursework that would be reported here, which is typical for a school of this grade band and size.

For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small, rural elementary school where a majority of students come from low-income households and academic proficiency rates on state tests trail those of many other schools in the county. The community is quiet and grounded in agriculture, with limited commercial or cultural amenities. Housing is inexpensive, which may appeal to families seeking affordability, but the population decline suggests limited local job growth. The district itself appears stable, with no recent major changes publicly noted. A parent looking at Riverside East should weigh the very small class sizes and close-knit setting against the academic performance data and consider seeking more information from the school about how it supports students who are below grade level.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 28% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 24% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 35% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 50% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 51% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 36% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 54% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 51% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 24% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolRIVERSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.