The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bearden Elementary School
Bearden Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Bearden, Arkansas, part of the Bearden School District. The town originated as a railroad whistle-stop along the Cotton Belt line and grew around lumber milling, but over recent decades its population has declined and many small businesses have closed. The school’s facilities were rebuilt within the last generation and sit on Oak Avenue, close to the town’s compact center. As an elementary school, no graduation rate is reported, and the grade band covers only the early and middle years of childhood education.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year, using Arkansas’s ATLAS test, show that proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science are low in absolute terms, though the school’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the three districts within Ouachita County that had comparable data. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from over a third in third grade to about a seventh in fifth grade, with fourth and sixth grades falling between those levels. In English language arts, fourth graders reached nearly two-fifths proficient, but fifth graders fell below a sixth proficient, and third and sixth graders scored in the low twenties. In science, all four tested grades recorded proficiency rates below a fifth. These figures suggest that consistent academic challenge across subjects and grade levels is an area a parent would want to explore further with the school.
Enrollment is modest, with roughly equal numbers of students across kindergarten through sixth grade. Almost every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high poverty rate reported for the community. In racial and ethnic composition, the student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Black students and smaller groups of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the provided records.
The town of Bearden itself has experienced population decline and economic contraction. Historically, lumber mills employed many residents, and the nearby Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot was a major employer until the Navy left decades ago. Today, many residents commute to industrial plants in the Camden area. The school district is a local employer, and the annual Gazebo Festival in June provides a community gathering point. No recent major changes or initiatives were found for the Bearden School District in publicly available sources. Housing values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and home affordability relative to incomes is low.
Taken together, Bearden Elementary serves a small, economically stressed community where academic performance is modest compared to state averages but sits in the upper half among its county peers. The school’s rebuilding and its central location in town are points of local pride. For families considering this school, the primary considerations are the very high level of economic need among students, the rural setting, and the need to understand the academic supports available given the consistently low test outcomes across multiple grade levels and subjects.
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