Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School, Sulphur Rock AR

Original Research by School Decision on Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School

Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Batesville School District, located in the small town of Sulphur Rock in Independence County, Arkansas. The school operates as a magnet elementary within a district that consolidated the former Sulphur Rock district several years ago. For families considering this school, the combination of a rural small-town setting, a magnet designation, and a district that has made recent investments in efficiency and teacher pay shapes the experience.

Sulphur Rock is a primarily residential community with a population that has grown noticeably in recent years. Commuting to nearby Batesville and Newport is common, as the town lacks major employers and has minimal local commerce. The built environment is car-dependent, and public transit is absent. Civic amenities are limited; residents likely rely on Batesville for libraries, parks, and other services. Housing values have risen, and the town has a relatively high share of rental housing. The school itself sits within the town rather than on a separated campus, embedding it in the daily life of the community.

The Batesville School District, which governs Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary, made a significant operational shift a few years ago by transitioning to solar power through a bond initiative. This move reduced expenses and allowed the district to raise teacher salaries, a change that may benefit classroom stability and teacher retention across the system.

Academically, Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary participates in Arkansas's ATLAS state assessments, which are administered in grades three through five. Results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture. In third grade, math proficiency was a relative bright spot, with a strong share of students reaching the proficient or above level. Fourth-grade math also showed solid results, with more than half of students proficient. Fifth-grade math was lower, with about half of students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency was lower, while fourth grade performed better, with just over half of students proficient. Fifth-grade ELA was a softer area, with about one-third of students proficient. Science results followed a similar pattern: third grade around a third proficient, fourth grade approaching half proficient, and fifth grade again lower. When compared with other districts in Independence County, overall proficiency at Sulphur Rock ranks in the top quartile, a notable strength. However, the school's own data shows that performance varies by grade and subject, with some grades and subjects needing improvement.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominately white, with small shares of Hispanic, two or more races, Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data provided. Staffing data, discipline records, and course access details were also absent, so a family may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, special education services, and support for students who are behind grade level.

As an elementary-only school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the magnet designation suggests a specific academic focus, though the data did not specify the nature of the magnet program. Families drawn to a small-town environment with a school that performs well relative to its county peers may find this school a good fit, though the uneven proficiency results in later elementary grades warrant a closer look at how the school addresses skill gaps in upper elementary reading and science.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 45% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 48% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 36% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 28% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 40% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median

Science

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 42% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 35% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median

This schoolBATESVILLE 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income59%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income33%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income50%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income77%44 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income54%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income60%30 pp gap