Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School, Little Rock AR

Original Research by School Decision on Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School

Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School is one of five campuses in the Estem Public Charter Schools network, serving students from kindergarten through sixth grade in Little Rock. The school sits in the East Village area of the city, a location that reflects the network’s recent expansion beyond its original downtown campuses. Founded under a charter that was successfully renewed, the district has demonstrated organizational stability, and the addition of this elementary campus broadened enrollment options for families in this part of the capital.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year offer a mixed picture of academic performance. Across tested grades three through six, the share of students meeting grade-level benchmarks in math ranged from roughly a fifth to just under a third, with fifth graders showing the highest rate and third graders the lowest. In English language arts, more than a third of sixth graders reached the proficient mark, while third and fourth graders were below a quarter. Science proficiency rates fell in a similar band, with fourth graders producing the strongest results. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it above the midpoint among districts in Pulaski County. That placement suggests that while absolute proficiency levels are modest, the school is performing roughly in the upper half of its county peers. A parent may want to ask how the school supports students who are not yet meeting standards and what academic interventions are in place.

The student body is diverse in composition and serves a population with significant economic need. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially, the largest single group is Black, followed by White, Hispanic, and students of two or more races, with very small numbers of Asian and Native American students. This mix reflects the urban setting and the school’s role as a public charter drawing from a broad attendance area.

Little Rock functions as Arkansas’s capital and largest city, with an economy anchored by healthcare, state government, banking, transportation, and retail. Major employers include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dillard’s, and Windstream Holdings. The city also supports a downtown River Market district and a 17-mile Arkansas River Trail. Housing values in the school’s zip code are moderate relative to state and national medians, and rental costs have been rising slightly. The broader metropolitan area has seen steady growth, though the school sits within the city itself rather than a suburban corridor.

No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing levels for this school. Those are areas a parent may wish to explore directly with the administration. Because the school serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to consider. The charter school status means it operates under a separate governance structure from the traditional Little Rock School District, with its own board and accountability framework.

This school offers a charter option in central Little Rock with a diverse, high-needs student population and academic results that land near the middle of the county range. A family considering it should weigh the moderate proficiency rates against the school’s position among its local peers and should seek further detail on the specific supports available for students who are still developing foundational skills.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 35% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 31% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 28% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 28% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

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

Science

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 26% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

This schoolESTEM PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL, 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-income19%Higher-income55%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income70%43 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income44%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income50%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income10%Higher-income15%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income5%Higher-income44%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income26%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income47%35 pp gap