Hurricane Creek Elementary, Benton AR

Original Research by School Decision on Hurricane Creek Elementary

Hurricane Creek Elementary is a public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, operated by the Bryant School District. It sits within the growing suburban landscape of Benton, Arkansas, a community that serves as a bedroom suburb of Little Rock and the county seat of Saline County. The school’s physical address is on Alcoa Road, a thoroughfare whose name nods to the historic aluminum industry presence in the region.

The school enrolls a student body that is diverse, with a mix of backgrounds. Racial and ethnic composition is varied, including a substantial share of students who are white, a significant share who are black, and smaller representations of students who are Hispanic, of two or more races, and Asian. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the school’s economic profile. The school’s enrollment itself is at a moderate size for an elementary building, serving a fairly even distribution of students across each grade from kindergarten through fifth.

On academic performance, Hurricane Creek Elementary shows a mixed picture. In the most recent state testing under Arkansas’s ATLAS assessment, fourth grade students posted the strongest results, with a majority of students meeting proficiency benchmarks in both math and English language arts. Third grade math also saw half of students reach proficiency, while third grade reading and fifth grade math and reading results clustered around the half mark, with slightly less than half of students scoring proficient. Science scores were lower across the board, with fourth graders posting the best result among the three tested grades, while fifth grade science was the weakest single subject and grade level. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Saline County, a positive position within its local comparison set. A parent may want to look into the lower science results further with the school to understand whether those reflect curriculum, assessment alignment, or other factors.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate data to evaluate. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access were also not available, so those dimensions of the school environment cannot be assessed from the provided information.

The setting of the school is relevant to families considering the area. Benton is experiencing steady suburban growth, with population estimates rising. The city itself is largely auto-oriented, with a compact historic downtown centered on the county courthouse and a few walkable blocks, but the broader residential areas are typical low-density subdivisions and commercial strips. For the Bryant School District as a whole, a major facility change is underway. Voters approved a property tax increase in 2023 to fund a new Bryant High School on a large site, with the campus expected to open for the 2026-2027 school year to relieve capacity pressures at the current high school. This development affects both district taxpayers and the long-term school landscape.

Housing values in the area are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and rental costs are likewise in a range that makes the area accessible compared to more expensive markets. The local economy reflects broader national conditions, with the unemployment rate and mortgage rates in line with typical recent figures for the country.

In sum, Hurricane Creek Elementary is a neighborhood school in a growing suburban district, with a diverse student body and a majority of families qualifying for economic support. Its state test results are strongest in the middle elementary years, particularly in fourth grade math and reading, while science scores and some upper-grade results give a family reason to ask questions. The broader district is investing in new high school facilities, signaling growth and a focus on capacity.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 60% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 50% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 46% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 50% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 44% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 47% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 42% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 36% · ▼ 4 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

This schoolBRYANT 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 3Lower-income48%Higher-income53%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income33%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income78%43 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income59%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income78%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income67%26 pp gap