Original Research by School Decision on Miner Academy
Miner Academy is a public charter school in Bauxite, Arkansas, serving grades six through twelve within the Bauxite School District. With a total enrollment that is very small, the school operates as an alternative setting within the district. Its student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small share of Black students; no other racial or ethnic groups were represented in the reported data. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available.
State testing data for Miner Academy was entirely missing across all subjects and grade levels for the 2023-24 school year. Arkansas changed its statewide assessment during this period, which can affect comparability, but the data gap for this school goes beyond that. Because the school serves grades six through twelve, it should have tested students in those grades, yet no proficiency rates, participation rates, or scale scores were reported. Similarly, no graduation rate was available. A parent looking for academic performance benchmarks will find no state-reported results to consult. This absence may be related to the school’s charter or alternative status, but the data does not provide a specific reason. Given the small size of the enrollment, it is also possible that results were suppressed for privacy. Either way, there is no testing record to evaluate.
No information on Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or other program offerings was reported. No discipline data, staffing counts, or chronic absenteeism rates were present. The school’s civil rights information was also unavailable. What remains is the basic structure: a charter school within a district that operates a conventional middle school and high school as well. The school is located on School Street in Bauxite, a small town with a distinct history as a company town built around bauxite mining by Alcoa. After mining ended and Alcoa withdrew, Bauxite incorporated and has since become a bedroom community for the Little Rock metropolitan area. The town has grown markedly in recent decades, with population increasing as suburban development spreads from Benton and Bryant. There is no traditional downtown; civic life centers on the schools and the community center that houses the Bauxite Museum. High school football serves as a major local event.
The Bauxite School District itself did not show any recent major changes such as a referendum, property-tax shift, or curriculum overhaul in publicly reported sources. That means the district context appears stable on the surface, but for Miner Academy specifically, the lack of academic data makes it difficult to gauge how it compares to the district’s other schools or to schools in neighboring Saline County districts. The comparison set available was relative to districts in Saline County, but no metrics could be computed because the school’s own data was missing.
For a family considering Miner Academy, the key takeaway is that the school’s academic outcomes are not publicly documented through standard state assessments. Its small size and charter status suggest it serves a particular student population, but without more information on its mission, instructional model, or program focus, a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand what it offers and how its students perform. The school’s website and district office are the logical next stops.
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