Glen Rose Elementary School, Malvern AR

Original Research by School Decision on Glen Rose Elementary School

Glen Rose Elementary School is a public school serving the Glen Rose School District, located on a highway outside the core of Malvern, Arkansas. The school is listed as serving kindergarten through fourth grade, though the state test results reported for this school include grades up through sixth, so a family looking at this school should confirm the actual grade configuration with the district rather than assume based on the directory listing.

The enrollment is on the smaller side for an elementary school, and the student body is overwhelmingly White, with small shares of Hispanic, American Indian, and multiracial students. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant share of families with lower household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are served.

On the Arkansas ATLAS assessments, proficiency rates vary by grade and subject, but most fall below the midway point. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was around three out of ten for third, fourth, and sixth grades and about four out of ten for fifth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: roughly four out of ten students for grades three, four, and five, dropping to just over a quarter of sixth graders. Science results were somewhat stronger, with about four out of ten for grades three and four, approaching half for grade five, and about a third for grade six. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school’s overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Hot Spring County. The county comparison is based on five districts, and Glen Rose Elementary’s average performance is lower than the median but not at the very bottom of the range. A parent looking for high overall test scores may want to examine the details for individual grade levels and consider that the school’s results are modest relative to nearby districts.

Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was available. The district brief turned up little information about recent changes, budget shifts, or curriculum reforms, so families should rely on direct contact with the district office for current plans and priorities.

The school sits in a rural area on Highway 67, outside Malvern’s historic downtown. Malvern itself is a small manufacturing and county-seat town with a mix of brick plants, industrial employers, and a whitewater park on the Ouachita River. Housing values in the surrounding zip code area are below the state median and have seen a modest decline over the past year, which could matter for families considering a move. The Glen Rose School District is a separate entity from the Malvern School District, so families should be sure they are looking at the correct attendance zone.

For a family seeking a small, rural elementary school with a predominantly White student body and a substantial share of lower-income families, Glen Rose Elementary fits that description. The academic performance is generally below the county midpoint, and the grade-span issue means families should clarify exactly which grades are housed in this building. Those who value test scores above the county average may find the results less compelling, while those who prioritize a close-knit rural setting may want to explore further by visiting and talking with staff.

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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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 9 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 6 pts below state median

Science

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

even with state median

This schoolGLEN ROSE 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-income26%Higher-income59%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income58%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income13%Higher-income41%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income38%11 pp gap