Lisa Academy Springdale, Springdale AR

Original Research by School Decision on Lisa Academy Springdale

Lisa Academy Springdale is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, located just off Holcomb Street in Springdale. It is part of the larger Lisa Academy network, a statewide charter system that has expanded rapidly in recent years, including new campuses in Fayetteville, Rogers-Bentonville, and Springdale itself. For a family considering this school, the most important context is that it is a tuition-free, publicly funded charter school with a STEM-C focused curriculum, not a traditional district school. It operates independently of the Springdale Public Schools district, which is the largest in Arkansas.

The school’s enrollment is about the size of a mid-sized elementary and middle school combined, with a student body that is majority Hispanic and a substantial share of white students, along with smaller groups of students who identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the families the school serves.

State assessment results from the most recent testing year show mixed academic performance. In math, proficiency rates across grades ranged from roughly two-fifths to just over half of students meeting the state’s target. The strongest math results came from fourth and eighth grade, while third and seventh grade were weaker. In English language arts, the picture is more uneven. The lower elementary grades performed around the midpoint, but proficiency rates dropped sharply in middle school, with sixth and seventh grade reaching only about a quarter of students meeting the bar. Science results followed a similar pattern, with fourth and fifth grade performing relatively well and middle school grades falling off. Overall, when compared to other districts in Washington County, the school’s combined proficiency across all tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the county. A parent may want to discuss with the school how they support literacy and science achievement, particularly in the middle grades where the data shows a soft spot.

Because the school only goes through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing was not available, so a parent considering the school should ask about student attendance and teacher turnover directly.

Springdale itself is a rapidly growing city that serves as a major hub for the poultry processing industry, with Tyson Foods, George’s, and Cargill as leading employers. The city’s manufacturing base also includes Ball Corporation and Pratt & Whitney. The downtown area along Emma Avenue provides cultural anchors such as the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and the Arts Center of the Ozarks, while I-49 is the main transit route through the region. The city annexed Bethel Heights in 2020 and continues to grow, though it was also struck by an EF3 tornado in 2022 that damaged many structures. For a family living in Springdale or the surrounding area, Lisa Academy Springdale offers a public charter alternative to the traditional district schools, with a specific academic focus and a middle-grade enrollment that becomes significantly smaller in the upper grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 36% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 43% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 43% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 27% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 41% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 37% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 43% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 41% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 40% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 47% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 38% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 42% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 44% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 38% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · even with 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-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income57%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income58%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income27%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income43%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income61%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income58%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income55%30 pp gap