Kensett Elementary School, Kensett AR

Original Research by School Decision on Kensett Elementary School

Kensett Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the Riverview School District, located in the small White County town of Kensett, Arkansas, directly east of Searcy. As an elementary school, it feeds into Riverview Junior High and High School, both of which are in Searcy.

The school participates in Arkansas’s ATLAS assessments. Across tested grades, proficiency rates in math, reading, and science were mixed, with some grades showing a higher share of students meeting the state standard and others where the share was modest. When compared with other school districts in White County, the school’s overall proficiency index fell below the midpoint. A parent considering this school may want to ask about the academic supports in place and how instruction is adjusted for students who are not yet meeting the standard.

The student body is diverse and predominantly from low-income households, with a very high share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial composition includes a majority of white students, followed by Black and Hispanic students, along with a smaller share of multiracial students. Data on the number of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was not available in the public record.

The Riverview School District runs a 1:1 technology program, providing iPads to students in kindergarten through second grade and MacBook Air laptops to those in third grade and above. That means every Kensett Elementary student has a personal device for daily classroom work, a clear strength of the district. The school board recently voted to reorganize its elementary schools, a structural change that may affect how grade levels and programs are arranged. A family should check what that reorganization means for Kensett Elementary specifically.

Kensett is a quiet bedroom community where most residents commute to Searcy for work. Its population has been on a slight decline over the past two decades, and its downtown core has experienced losses, including a fire that destroyed the city council chambers. Housing consists primarily of older single-family homes, and commercial activity is limited. The Riverview School District itself serves the communities of Kensett, Judsonia, and Griffithville, which were consolidated into a single district some years ago. That regional structure means the school draws from a wider area than the town of Kensett alone.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism and discipline data were also not available. These are common gaps for elementary schools, as those measures are often tracked more fully at the secondary level.

Kensett Elementary is a small K-6 public school in a consolidated rural district. It serves a student population with high economic need, and its academic results, as measured by state assessments, are variable and place it below the midpoint among its county peers. The district’s technology program stands out, giving every student a device. For a family looking to understand the academic trajectory and available supports, visiting the school and discussing the recent elementary reorganization and the school’s approach to improving proficiency would be a sensible next step.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 23% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 21% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 36% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 414%

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

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 35% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median

Science

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 38% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 18% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 29% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

This schoolRIVERVIEW 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.