The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Math. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Friendship Aspire Academy North Little Rock Elementary
Friendship Aspire Academy North Little Rock Elementary is a public charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in North Little Rock. As a charter school, it operates with its own governance structure under the Friendship Aspire Academies Arkansas district, a state-authorized charter management organization. The school was created as part of a 2022 consolidation that merged three previously separate charter districts into a single district, a change parents should be aware of as it affects administrative and governance structures.
The school serves a small enrollment for an elementary school. The student body is almost entirely Black, with a very small share of Hispanic students and even fewer Asian and White students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that the school is serving a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting.
State testing results, based on Arkansas’s ATLAS assessment for a single tested grade, show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science all fell below the midpoint when compared against other districts in Pulaski County. In fact, the school’s overall proficiency index landed in the bottom quartile among the county’s districts. For a family considering this school, the test results are a clear area to investigate further. Because the tested grade group was small, these numbers represent a limited picture, but they are the only achievement data available.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not serve high school grades, so measures like four-year graduation and chronic absenteeism do not apply here. The comparison data reflects that these fields are simply not relevant to the school’s grade band.
North Little Rock itself is a mid-sized city across the Arkansas River from Little Rock, functioning as its own municipality with distinct neighborhoods. The housing market in the school’s ZIP code has home values well below the state and national benchmarks, and rents are also below the national average. This makes the area comparatively affordable for families. The city has seen modest growth and ongoing investment in its Argenta Historic District downtown, which offers some walkable street life with restaurants and entertainment, but most of the city is car-dependent.
The school’s location on Virginia Drive places it in a residential part of the city. The district brief notes the recent consolidation of charter campuses, which streamlined administration but also changed campus names and district structure. Families considering this school may want to ask how this consolidation has affected day-to-day operations, teacher retention, or curriculum continuity at the elementary level.
For a parent weighing options, this school offers a small, K-5 charter setting in an affordable part of central Arkansas. The academic picture from the available state tests is a soft spot, and the school is positioned at the low end of the county’s proficiency range. A family would want to talk with current parents and school leadership about how instruction is being delivered, what interventions are in place, and what the school’s trajectory looks like under the consolidated district structure. The peer environment is almost entirely Black and economically disadvantaged, which may be a fit for some families and not others depending on their preferences. The setting is urban but largely residential, with downtown amenities a short drive away.
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