Gosnell Elementary School, Gosnell AR

Original Research by School Decision on Gosnell Elementary School

Gosnell Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural Mississippi County community of Gosnell, Arkansas. It is part of the Gosnell School District, which operates all grade levels for the town. The school is not a charter or magnet institution, and it serves what is, for a K-6 school, a modest enrollment.

Academically, Gosnell Elementary posts results that place it among the stronger elementary schools within Mississippi County. Across all tested grades and subjects on the state’s ATLAS assessment, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the top quartile when compared to the county’s six other districts. That said, performance varies by subject and grade. In mathematics, proficiency rates hover around half of students meeting the bar, with some grades reaching a bit higher and one grade dipping lower. In English language arts, the picture is more mixed: the lowest grade tested shows about a third of students proficient, while the highest grade tested shows just over half proficient. Science results cluster in a similar range, with the majority of grades showing roughly two out of five students at the proficient level. A parent reviewing these results should note that the statewide assessment changed in recent years, and the data here represents a single snapshot.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Black population and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available, so families should follow up directly with the school on those supports.

Gosnell itself is a small, car-dependent farming community that has experienced steady population decline since the closure of Eaker Air Force Base decades ago. Cotton farming remains the primary industry, along with manufacturing, educational services, and retail trade. The town lacks a traditional downtown; civic institutions and the school campus are spread along the main highways. The Gosnell School District is one of the area’s larger employers. Home values in the area are well below both state and national medians, making the community relatively affordable, and the homeownership rate is high. The town supports an annual Cotton Pickin’ Festival and Tractor Pull, and nearby Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge offers outdoor recreation.

The district brief turned up no recent changes of lasting impact that a parent would need to track, such as a boundary shift, program closure, or major facility project. Because Gosnell Elementary serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the provided materials. No information on program offerings such as gifted education, specials, or extracurricular activities was supplied, so families should check the school’s website or call to learn about those opportunities.

For a family considering where to live, Gosnell Elementary offers a relatively affordable housing market paired with academic results that compare favorably within its county. The school’s high rate of economic disadvantage means that the peer environment includes many children from working and lower-income households, which may matter to some families. The reading and language arts scores in particular are an area a parent may want to discuss with the school office to understand what supports are in place. This is a small-town rural school serving a community that has seen its population thin out over the past generation, so the school itself remains a central anchor. Families who value a tight-knit setting, lower housing costs, and an elementary school that holds its own against county peers will find this a realistic option.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 19 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 20 pts above state median

Science

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 5 pts above state median

This schoolGOSNELL 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-income33%Higher-income47%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income58%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income33%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income54%Higher-income65%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income51%Higher-income71%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income63%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income39%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income90%26 pp gap