Carlisle Elementary School, Carlisle AR

Original Research by School Decision on Carlisle Elementary School

Carlisle Elementary School serves the small, rural community of Carlisle in eastern Lonoke County, within commuting distance of Little Rock. It is a traditional public elementary school for kindergarten through sixth grade and sits within the Carlisle School District. The town itself is a bedroom community with a long history in rice farming and a local economy that also draws from businesses near Interstate 40. Its population has been in a long-term decline, and the school reflects that modest scale with a relatively small student body for its grade band.

The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small share of Black students, a modest Hispanic presence, and a few students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals a community with notable economic need. Housing values in the zip code are below state and national medians, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is relatively modest, which may be a practical consideration for families moving into the area.

On state assessments given in spring 2025 under Arkansas's ATLAS test, student proficiency rates were low across most grades and subjects. In mathematics, the share of students scoring at or above proficient ranged from roughly a fifth to under a third across grades three through six. English language arts proficiency rates were similarly modest, hovering near a quarter of students tested. Science results were somewhat more varied, with one grade level showing a stronger outcome, but the overall pattern across the school places its composite proficiency below the midpoint relative to other districts in Lonoke County. Those are the numbers as reported; any parent reading them will want to understand what supports the school has in place for core academic skills and may wish to ask the principal about specific strategies being used to raise achievement. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report.

Program information was not available in the data, so it is unclear what enrichment, specials, or intervention offerings exist beyond the core curriculum. Similarly, civil rights data on discipline or special education identification rates was not present in the profile. Those are meaningful gaps for a parent deciding whether this school can serve a child with particular needs or interests, and they would be natural questions for a school tour or a conversation with the front office.

The district itself has been stable recently, with no major publicly reported changes or restructuring identified in the search. The town's schools are located on separate sites rather than in a downtown core, with a newer elementary school building that was dedicated in a recent year. For families considering Carlisle, the housing market is affordable relative to the state and nation, and the community offers a quiet, small-town environment with a short drive to the Little Rock metro area. The academic profile, however, is one that requires attention. A parent moving here should expect to be an active partner with the school, and to look closely at how the school identifies and supports students who are behind grade level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 8 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 6 pts below state median

Science

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 11 pts above state median

This schoolCARLISLE 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-income25%Higher-income27%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income44%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income14%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income55%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income9%Higher-income47%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income32%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income43%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income46%16 pp gap