The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Northside Elementary School
Northside Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fourth grade in the Cabot School District, a system that is the city’s most prominent institution. The school is one of nine elementary campuses spread across a fast-growing district that families move into specifically for the schools. With an enrollment under 500 students for a PK-4 span, Northside is on the smaller side for an elementary building in a district of this scale, which can mean more familiarity between staff and families from year to year.
Cabot itself is a residential commuter city within the Little Rock metro area, and a substantial share of its workforce drives southwest each day. The city has been one of Arkansas’s fastest-growing communities, attracting families with a lower cost of housing than the capital and a perceived quality-of-life advantage anchored by the school district. The housing market, with home values and rents both near the state benchmark and below the national median, supports that value proposition. A parent considering Northside should expect an auto-oriented suburban environment with limited walkability, a historic downtown that has been redeveloped since a tornado in an earlier era, and a strong civic identity tied to the schools.
On state assessments administered through the Arkansas ATLAS system, Northside’s results show a mix. In math, proficiency rates were above the midpoint among Lonoke County districts, and the school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile relative to other districts in the county. That is a genuine strength for a primary school. Within those numbers, fourth graders posted stronger math results than third graders, and the same pattern held in English language arts and science. The ELA proficiency rates sit below a majority, with third-grade reading as the softer spot a parent may want to ask the school about directly. Science results land in a middle range, with fourth graders performing better than third graders there as well. Because the school serves only grades PK-4, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school metrics apply.
The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as two or more races and smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students. More than half of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic diversity present in this growing suburb. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the reporting, so families with children in those categories may want to follow up with the school directly about supports. Similarly, information on discipline rates, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism was not provided, so those dimensions of school climate are not part of this account.
The Cabot School District did not have any recent parent-relevant changes such as bond elections, curriculum shifts, or construction projects confirmed in available sources. That means families moving into the area are assessing a district that, for the moment, appears stable in its operations and offerings. Northside’s position as a top-quartile elementary school within Lonoke County gives it a solid academic footing for the early grades, and the broader district’s reputation as a draw for families moving to Cabot reinforces that picture. A parent looking for a small elementary school in a growing, affordable suburb with a demonstrated strength in early math and a need for attention to early reading will find Northside worth a closer look.
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