Lavaca Elementary School, Lavaca AR

Original Research by School Decision on Lavaca Elementary School

Lavaca Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in the Lavaca School District, a small public school system in western Arkansas. The school is the only elementary in the district and sits in the town of Lavaca, a bedroom community for Fort Smith that has grown steadily as former agricultural land turned into subdivisions. The school itself has undergone facility improvements in recent years, part of a district-wide construction push that also added a performing arts center on the high school campus.

State testing data from the 2024-25 school year, using Arkansas’s ATLAS assessment, shows a mixed but generally improving picture by grade. In math, fourth graders performed markedly better than third graders, with a majority reaching the proficient level. Third-grade math results were lower, with fewer than half of students meeting the bar. Reading results followed a similar grade-level pattern: fourth graders outscored third graders, though neither group saw a majority reach proficiency. Third-grade reading was the weakest area across all tested subjects. Science scores were more consistent between the two grades, with proficiency rates in the middle range. When compared across districts in Sebastian County, Lavaca Elementary’s overall proficiency index lands in the top quarter, meaning its combined performance across subjects and grades is above the county midpoint. Because the school serves only primary grades, no graduation rate or college-going data applies.

The student body is about two hundred eighty children, with a large majority identifying as White. Small shares of students are of two or more races, Hispanic, or American Indian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating considerable economic need within the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, nor were figures on chronic absenteeism or discipline. Families who want a fuller picture of student support might ask the school directly about these areas.

Lavaca itself is a small town with a quiet downtown centered on Main Street, home to a historical museum and a branch library. The median home value in the area sits above the state average but below the national figure, making the community comparatively affordable. The town continues to add housing, and the school district has invested in new facilities, though no major curriculum changes or tax referendums were publicly reported in recent years. The school does not offer specialized magnet or charter programs; it operates as the neighborhood public elementary.

For a family looking at Lavaca Elementary, the key considerations are the school’s solid relative standing within the county, the noticeable jump in performance between third and fourth grade, and the community’s small-town, suburban character. The mixed third-grade reading results in particular are worth discussing with the school to understand what supports are in place. The school provides a standard elementary pathway for a community that is growing modestly but remains largely residential and family-oriented.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 32%

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolLAVACA 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-income44%Higher-income65%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income39%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income81%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income50%14 pp gap