Atkins Middle School, Atkins AR - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Atkins Middle School

Atkins Middle School serves grades five through eight in the small rural town of Atkins, Arkansas, a community that was once known as the pickle capital of the state but whose signature employer closed years ago. Today many residents commute roughly ten miles west to Russellville for work, and the town’s population has been stable to slightly declining over recent decades. The school sits within the Atkins School District, which covers this one town, and no parent-relevant changes such as referendums or curriculum shifts were found in publicly reported sources for the district in recent years.

On state assessments administered through Arkansas’s ATLAS system, Atkins Middle School shows a pattern where proficiency rates generally improve as students move through the grades, at least in math. In fifth grade math, roughly a third of students scored at the proficient or above level. That share rises steadily through the middle school years, reaching about two-thirds of eighth graders meeting the benchmark. English language arts proficiency rates are lower overall and flatter across grades, hovering in the range of roughly a third to two-fifths of students, with sixth grade posting the lowest rate. Science scores sit between the math and ELA results for most grades, with eighth grade again the strongest at around half of students proficient or above. When the school is placed against other districts in Pope County, its overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades falls above the midpoint of the county’s districts, meaning it outperforms the middle of the pack but is not at the top of that field.

The student body is small in size for a middle school and is predominantly white. A modest number of Hispanic students and Black students are enrolled, and the remainder of the student population is made up of students identifying as two or more races or as American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial share of students come from low-income households, as reflected in the free or reduced-price lunch program eligibility rate. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed.

The housing market in the zip code that serves Atkins shows home values well below national and state benchmarks, with very modest year-over-year appreciation. Estimated monthly mortgage costs and rents are both low relative to national averages, consistent with the area’s rural character and modest economic base. The town itself has limited commercial and pedestrian infrastructure outside of its small downtown grid, though Lake Atkins provides a recreational anchor and the annual Picklefest draws residents together. No public transit system is mentioned in the sources, and the town is accessible via Interstate 40.

No information on school programs such as elective offerings, advanced coursework, or special academic tracks was provided. Similarly, data on discipline, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns was absent from the available records. A parent considering Atkins Middle School may wish to follow up directly with the school or district about these areas to get a fuller picture of the day-to-day experience. The academic evidence available shows a middle school where math achievement grows stronger by the time students reach eighth grade, while ELA performance remains a relative soft spot that families might want to explore further with the school. The school sits in a quiet, low-cost rural setting with a small-town feel and a student population that reflects the local community’s demographics.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

even with state median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 37 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 19 pts above state median

This schoolATKINS SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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 5Lower-income21%Higher-income53%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income74%46 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income59%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income28%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income53%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income63%48 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income74%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income71%6 pp gap