The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Science. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hillcrest Elementary School
Hillcrest Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Lynn, Arkansas, as part of the Hillcrest School District. The school is located on School Street near the center of town, and the district also operates a high school in the nearby community of Strawberry, about five miles southwest. Lynn itself sits along State Highway 25, surrounded by farmland and natural landscapes. The town has experienced gradual population decline since the 1980s and remains very small, with a limited built environment of churches, a grocery store, a bank, a community center, a library, and a few other businesses. There is no public transit, and the area is oriented toward automobile travel.
The student body at Hillcrest Elementary is predominantly white, with small numbers of students who are Black, Hispanic, or of two or more races. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a level that places the school among those with the highest poverty concentration in the region. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the materials reviewed; families may want to inquire directly about the support structures for these groups.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed academic picture. In mathematics, proficiency rates varied noticeably by grade. Third-grade math results showed roughly half of students meeting the proficient benchmark. Fourth-grade math was lower, with about a third proficient. Fifth grade improved to above half, and sixth grade showed the strongest performance, with approximately three-quarters of students proficient. In English language arts, third grade came in around half proficient, fourth grade was markedly lower at about one-fifth, fifth grade was again around half, and sixth grade edged above half. Science results followed a similar pattern: third grade around half, fourth grade below half, fifth grade above half, and sixth grade again near three-quarters. The overall proficiency index, which averages performance across all tested subjects and grades, places Hillcrest Elementary in the top quartile relative to other districts in Lawrence County. That is a notable position given the high poverty rate, and it suggests the school is achieving above the county median despite economic challenges.
No information was available on chronic absenteeism, course access, or staffing ratios; a parent may want to ask about these topics, particularly class sizes and supports. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and the district’s recently available materials showed no major changes or initiatives of note for families to track.
For a family considering this school, the context is straightforward. Hillcrest Elementary is a small, rural school serving a high-poverty community, and its academic results show some volatility by grade and subject. The overall performance is stronger than the county average, and the strongest results appear in the upper elementary grades. The town of Lynn offers very limited amenities and has seen long-term population decline, so this is a setting where school and community are tightly intertwined and where a family’s expectations around local resources and civic life should be modest. The lack of data on programs, special education, and English learner services means a potential parent should plan to speak directly with school staff to understand the full picture.
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