The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Peake Elementary School
Peake Elementary School serves third through fifth grade in Arkadelphia, a small college town that is the seat of Clark County and sits along Interstate 30 between Little Rock and Texarkana. The town is home to Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University, whose adjacent campuses and long-running football rivalry shape local identity. The city has seen a modest population decline in recent years. The housing market in the area is more affordable than state and national benchmarks, with the typical home value well below those averages, which may appeal to families looking for a lower-cost entry point.
The school is part of the Arkadelphia School District and enrolls a student body that is roughly half white and a little over a third Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that gives a sense of the economic background of the community the school serves.
On state assessments administered through the Arkansas ATLAS system, proficiency rates for the school varied by subject and grade. In third grade, the share of students scoring proficient or above was higher in science than in English language arts and math. Fourth-grade proficiency rates were lower across all three subjects, with English language arts and math each landing below a third of students scoring at that level. The school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits at the top quartile among districts in Clark County, a comparison that should be understood in the context of a small number of districts in the county.
State testing data for fifth grade was not available in the data provided, so a full picture of performance across the upper elementary grades is incomplete. A parent may want to ask the school directly about fifth-grade results and how the school supports students who arrive below grade-level expectations.
The data did not include information on staffing ratios, discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support. Without those details, it is harder to assess the school's learning environment and the supports available for students with different needs. The district brief turned up little publicly reported about recent changes or strategic priorities, so that context is also absent.
Arkadelphia itself offers a compact geography with a traditional downtown centered on the Clark County Courthouse and a historic commercial district. The two university campuses sit near each other across a highway, and the city has an Amtrak station on the Texas Eagle route, as well as access to DeGray Lake and its state park for outdoor recreation. The town was struck by a significant tornado some years ago that damaged a large number of homes and businesses downtown, requiring a notable rebuilding effort.
For a family considering Peake, the school is a straightforward upper-elementary option in a small city with a college-town atmosphere. The affordability of housing relative to the state and nation is a practical advantage. The academic picture from the available test data shows room for improvement, especially in fourth-grade reading and math, and a parent would want to understand how the school addresses those gaps. The lack of information on special populations and discipline makes it harder to know how well the school serves a diverse student body. Families who value a community with a distinct identity tied to its universities and a slower pace of growth may find Arkadelphia a comfortable fit, while those seeking a school with a track record of strong academic outcomes across all grades may want to dig deeper.
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