Lisa Academy West Elementary School, Little Rock AR

Original Research by School Decision on Lisa Academy West Elementary School

Lisa Academy West Elementary School is a public charter school in Little Rock serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one campus within the Lisa Academy district, a network of tuition-free charter schools across Arkansas that emphasize a STEM and college-preparatory curriculum. The school sits in the western part of the city, near the Westhaven Drive area, a residential corridor that has seen steady development over recent years.

Little Rock itself is Arkansas’s capital and largest city, a mix of government offices, healthcare systems, retail headquarters, and riverfront industry. The downtown River Market area offers walkable dining and cultural venues, and the Arkansas River Trail provides a long pedestrian and bike route through the city. Outside the core, the city is largely car-dependent. Major employers include the state government, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dillard’s, and several hospitals. Housing costs in the school’s zip code sit moderately above the statewide median but below the national median, a pattern that reflects Little Rock’s position as a mid-sized capital city with a broad range of housing options.

At roughly the enrollment one would expect for an elementary school serving six grade levels, the student body is diverse. More than half of the students identify as Black, a substantial share as Hispanic, and smaller portions as Asian, White, or multiracial. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating the school serves a community with significant economic need.

On the most recent state assessments, administered under Arkansas’s ATLAS test, proficiency rates in math were modest across all tested grades. Rates in English language arts were higher than math but still below a majority of students meeting the proficiency benchmark. Science results were somewhat stronger in third grade and then declined in upper grades. Broadly, when compared with other districts in Pulaski County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, meaning it performs better than many local peers but still has room for academic improvement. A parent considering this school may want to inquire directly about the specific supports the school offers for math and reading, particularly given the gap between current results and full proficiency.

Because the school covers only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, nor data on chronic absenteeism or discipline. Those measures are simply not applicable at this grade band. The school does not provide a high school program, so families will need to plan for the transition to a middle and high school within the Lisa Academy district or elsewhere in the area.

The Lisa Academy district has been growing rapidly in recent years. It expanded to Fayetteville, Rogers-Bentonville, and Springdale, and opened a hybrid learning option called the Arkansas Hybrid School. This expansion gives families within the district a range of choices, but the West Elementary campus remains the district’s original location in Little Rock.

Overall, Lisa Academy West Elementary offers a tuition-free charter option in a city with a mixed economic base and a diverse student population. Its academic results are in the middle range compared to other Pulaski County districts, and families should weigh that alongside the school’s STEM-focused curriculum and the broader district’s growth trajectory when considering fit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 35% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 43% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 41% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 37% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 43% · ▼ 10 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 38% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 43% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolLISA ACADEMY, 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-income17%Higher-income41%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income33%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income48%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income12%Higher-income46%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income16%Higher-income46%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap