Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy, Hot Springs AR

Original Research by School Decision on Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy

Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy is a public charter school in Hot Springs, Arkansas, serving grades five through eight. Its charter status means it operates with some autonomy from the district’s standard rules, a feature that sets it apart from the traditional middle school model in the area. The school is part of the Fountain Lake School District, which is based in a community that sits within a tourist-driven economy centered on thermal bathhouses, horse racing at Oaklawn Park, and Hot Springs National Park.

The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population the next largest group at roughly one in every eleven students. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this school in a middle-income context on the national scale. The enrollment is moderate for a middle school, and the grade distribution is fairly even across fifth through eighth grade.

On state assessments, the school’s results show a varied pattern by grade and subject. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above moved from a low in fifth grade to a stronger showing by seventh grade, where it reached about the mid-forties, then dropped back in eighth grade. A similar shape appeared in English language arts, with seventh grade again performing noticeably better than the lower and upper grades. In science, the pattern held: seventh graders scored at a level roughly comparable to their math and ELA performance, while the other grades registered lower results. Across all subjects, the school sits below the midpoint among districts in Garland County on an overall proficiency index. A parent considering this school should understand that the seventh-grade cohort performed at a meaningfully higher level than the other grades, and may want to ask school staff whether this is a function of that particular group of students, a change in instruction, or some other factor.

The school is a charter, but no data was available on its specific academic model, course access, or any special programs it offers beyond the name “Cobra Digital Prep Academy.” That name suggests an emphasis on digital or blended learning, though the available records do not confirm the extent of that emphasis, so a parent should inquire directly. No information on discipline rates, teacher staffing levels, or chronic absenteeism was available, which means a family would need to get that picture from the school itself.

Hot Springs itself is a city with a distinct identity. Its downtown is preserved as a historic district with Bathhouse Row and Art Deco architecture, and the adjacent national park provides hiking trails. The local economy leans heavily on tourism, hospitality, and Oaklawn Park. The population has been growing slowly. Housing in the area around the school is priced somewhat above the statewide figure but below the national median, and rents have been rising at a moderate pace over the past year. The district did not have any recently reported major changes or initiatives, so the broader context for a family is the stability of a school that is part of a small district in a city that draws visitors more than new residents.

On the whole, Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy serves a mostly white, middle-income student population in a tourist town. Its academic proficiency rates are uneven across grades, with a notable jump in seventh grade, and it ranks below the median among Garland County districts when all grades and subjects are averaged together. Families interested in a charter middle school in the Hot Springs area will want to confirm the nature of the digital prep program and investigate the school’s approach to the subjects where results are lower, particularly in the fifth and eighth grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

even with state median

English language arts

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 1 pts below state median

This schoolFOUNTAIN LAKE 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 5Lower-income28%Higher-income39%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income43%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income22%Higher-income37%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income45%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income49%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income51%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income49%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income63%39 pp gap