Weaver Elementary School, West Memphis AR

Original Research by School Decision on Weaver Elementary School

Weaver Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade, and its student body is almost entirely Black. Every single student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families it serves. The school is part of the West Memphis School District and sits in a city that functions as a logistics and transportation hub, its identity shaped by interstate highways, rail lines, and the Mississippi River crossing into Memphis, Tennessee.

On the Arkansas state assessments, which are called the ATLAS, the share of students scoring at a proficient level or above was low across every tested grade and subject. In math, the proficiency rate for third graders was below one in five, and for fourth graders it was lower still. Fifth-grade math was the highest among the elementary grades but still only about one in five students reached that bar. In sixth grade, math proficiency dropped back down. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with all grades showing a low share of students meeting the proficiency threshold, never reaching one in five. Science results were also low, with the smallest share appearing among sixth graders, where only a very few tested as proficient. When compared to the other school districts in Crittenden County, Weaver’s overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint of the group. There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not serve high school grades, and data on chronic absenteeism was not available.

The school building is on East Barton Avenue in West Memphis. The city has seen a population decline in recent years, but publicly reported information notes substantial public and private investment, including new jobs in hospitality, retail, and manufacturing, as well as improvements to parks, public safety facilities, and a new library innovation center. The local economy leans heavily on distribution, trucking, and manufacturing, with major employers such as FedEx National LTL and Schneider National Carriers, along with Baptist Memorial Hospital and Southland Casino. Home values in the area are well below both the state and national benchmarks, and the housing market is more affordable relative to income, which is a consideration for families looking to buy.

Weaver Elementary has a small enrollment for an elementary school. Class sizes by grade appear to be modest. A parent considering this school will want to understand that the academic performance numbers point to a place where most students are not yet meeting state learning standards in math, reading, and science. The data does not include information on special education or English learner populations, staffing ratios, discipline incidents, or course access, so it is difficult to assess the level of student support or program breadth from what is reported here. There were no parent-relevant changes at the district level found in the available public records. Families who want a fuller picture of the school’s daily environment and instructional approach would likely need to visit and speak directly with the principal and teachers.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 17% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 48%

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

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 18% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 28% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 16% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 17% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 613%

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

▼ 20 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 15% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 11% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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.