Faulk Elementary School, West Memphis AR

Original Research by School Decision on Faulk Elementary School

Faulk Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in West Memphis, Arkansas, and is part of the West Memphis School District. West Memphis sits directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, and functions primarily as a distribution, trucking, and manufacturing hub, with healthcare and gaming also playing significant roles. The city’s population has declined in recent years, though publicly reported information points to substantial public and private investment in new facilities and jobs. The school itself is one of several elementary schools in the district.

Enrollment at Faulk is large enough for its grade band, and the student body is almost entirely composed of Black students, with very small numbers of Hispanic, White, and multiracial students. An extremely high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the community. Data on the share of students with disabilities or English learners was not reported in the available state records, so a parent who wants to understand those populations would need to ask the school directly.

State testing results are the main academic measure available for this school. In the most recent testing year, the share of students scoring at proficient or above on the Arkansas ATLAS assessments was low across every subject and grade level tested. In math, third grade had the lowest result, with performance rising somewhat but still low through sixth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, and the same held true for science. When the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is compared against other districts in Crittenden County, Faulk falls below the midpoint of the four districts. A parent weighing this school should look into how the school supports students who are behind grade level and what academic interventions are in place.

Because Faulk is an elementary school that does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Other data that are often available for schools, such as chronic absenteeism rates, discipline records, staffing ratios, or course access, were also absent from the information provided. It is common for these fields to be missing from publicly reported data, but a family moving into the area may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher experience, and support services.

Housing in the area around the school is notably more affordable than the state or national averages. Home values have been rising at a moderate pace, and rents have also been increasing, but the overall cost of housing remains comparatively low. That affordability, paired with the city’s role as a logistics and transportation hub, shapes the practical context for families choosing this school.

Faulk Elementary is a high-poverty school in a mid-sized Mississippi River city with a declining population but ongoing investment in infrastructure. Its state test results are well below state averages, and the comparison with other Crittenden County districts places its proficiency rates below the middle of the pack. Missing data on special populations and school environment mean that families will need to gather additional information directly from the school to get a full picture of the supports available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 33%

School 3% · District 17% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 17% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 16% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 17% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 20% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 15% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 11%

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

This schoolWEST MEMPHIS 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.