The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Math. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Lake Hamilton Elementary Sch
Lake Hamilton Elementary School serves just two grade levels, second and third, as part of the Lake Hamilton School District. This is a targeted elementary building, and a family with a child in these grades will want to understand it in that context. The school is located in Pearcy, a small, unincorporated rural community in Garland County, about a short drive from Hot Springs. The area is very low-density, with housing that is overwhelmingly owner-occupied, and there is no downtown or commercial center to speak of. Civic life for the area is centered in the county or in nearby Hot Springs. The school itself sits on the Lake Hamilton campus complex south of town.
Academically, the picture is mixed. On the Arkansas ATLAS assessment, math performance stands as a relative strength for this school, with a proficiency rate that lands above the midpoint among the elementary schools in Garland County. Reading and English language arts proficiency was softer, and science proficiency fell in between the two. A parent will want to look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum and instruction support literacy and science for this age group. Because the school only serves grades two and three, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to report. The district as a whole is investing heavily in its upper-grade offerings, with a major Career and Technical Education and athletics facility recently approved and a new STEM magnet program launching at the intermediate level. For a family in this elementary building, that signals expanding pathways for when their child moves up through the district.
The student body is mostly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, or of two or more races. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator that the school serves a community with significant economic need. The specific counts of students with Individualized Education Programs or who are English learners were not reported in the data available, so a parent with a child who receives special education or language services should follow up directly with the school about those supports.
The housing context for the area shows a median home value that is modestly above the state benchmark, and home values have seen modest recent growth. The broader economic context shows a national mortgage rate that has been fluctuating in a narrow range, and the national unemployment rate is low. For a family moving into the area, these are the general conditions, but the rural character of Pearcy means housing stock is more spaced out and the market is less dense than in a city or suburb.
There is no discipline data, course access data, or chronic absenteeism reporting available for this school, so it is not possible to draw conclusions about school climate or student support from this review. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these topics. The district has kept its millage rate steady for several years, funding its recent capital projects through growth in property assessments and state partnership dollars rather than a tax increase, which is a relevant piece of information for families weighing long-term housing costs. This is a small, rural elementary building that serves a narrow grade band. Its academic profile is strongest in math, and its district is making visible investments in the secondary-level programs that students will encounter after they leave this school.
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