The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Math. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Genoa Central Elem. School
Genoa Central Elementary School serves kindergarten through third grade, an early-primary campus within the Genoa Central School District. The school sits outside the main city of Texarkana, Arkansas, in a largely rural corridor of Miller County. Texarkana itself is a mid-sized border city that functions commercially as one community with its Texas twin; the local economy draws on agriculture, manufacturing, the Red River Army Depot, and regional healthcare. The school is a neighborhood elementary for families living in the district’s attendance zone along Highway 196.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small share of Hispanic students and even fewer Black and Asian students. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school near the middle economically for the area. The enrollment is modest for a K-3 building, running four grade levels with similar numbers in each. Because the school serves only grades K-3, there is no graduation rate to report — the elementary does not have high school grade levels, so that measure does not apply here.
On the state’s ATLAS assessments, the school’s third graders turned in results that, when averaged across subjects, land in the top quarter among districts in Miller County. Math proficiency was strong, with a large majority of tested students meeting the state’s proficient-or-above benchmark. Science proficiency was also high. English language arts showed a more moderate outcome, where about half of students scored proficient or above. This pattern — stronger math and science than reading — is common at the early-elementary level and may be something a parent would want to ask the school about, particularly around early literacy support.
The district has been in a phase of significant capital investment. Voters approved a series of property tax increases starting in 2021 to fund facility renovations, safety upgrades, and, most notably, construction of a new high school to replace a building from the 1960s. Two additional millage increases followed, and by 2025 the total district millage rate had risen substantially. This means that for families living within the district boundaries, property taxes have increased notably in recent years. The capital spending spiked accordingly, reflecting the start of the high school project.
Housing in the immediate area is moderately priced. Home values in the surrounding zip code sit well below the national typical figure, and the typical rent is also below the national benchmark. The combination of tax increases for school construction and a below-national housing market suggests that the overall cost of living in the district is manageable for many families, though the tax burden has risen.
Genoa Central Elementary is a standard early-elementary school with solid math and science outcomes and a reading score that leaves room for improvement. It is part of a district that has committed financially to upgrading its facilities, and those improvements are actively underway. The school’s small enrollment, rural setting, and homogeneous student population make it a straightforward fit for families in that part of Miller County who want a neighborhood elementary that feeds into a district investing in its infrastructure. The absence of data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, teacher staffing, and special education means a family should expect to ask the school directly about those areas — they are not publicly reported here.
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