Jefferson Elementary School, Little Rock AR

Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary School

Jefferson Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Little Rock, Arkansas, the state’s capital and largest city. The school sits within the Little Rock School District, which, based on available information, has not recently undertaken notable parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts or program overhauls that would alter the school’s basic context.

Academically, Jefferson Elementary puts up numbers that stand out. On the state’s ATLAS assessment, proficiency rates across tested grades and subjects place the school in the top quarter of all schools in Pulaski County, a cohort of about fifteen schools with comparable data. In mathematics, results rise from solid in third grade to well above that in fourth and fifth grades. English language arts follow a similar upward pattern, with fourth and fifth graders posting particularly strong showings. Science results are also consistently high across all three tested grade levels. For a family looking at elementary achievement, this is a school where a large majority of students are meeting or exceeding state expectations, and the trajectory from grade to grade suggests growth rather than stagnation.

The student body of about four hundred children is predominantly white, with Black students making up the next largest share, followed by a small Hispanic presence and smaller numbers of Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that positions the school as serving a mix of economic backgrounds but not as a high-poverty school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent who needs information on special education services or language support programs would need to contact the school directly.

Little Rock itself is a mid-sized capital city with a diversified economy anchored by healthcare, government, banking, and retail. Major employers include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dillard’s headquarters, and state government. The city’s housing market shows home values above the state average and rental costs that are elevated relative to what the broader national market suggests, reflecting the desirability of certain neighborhoods. The neighborhood around Jefferson Elementary, in the 72207 zip code, carries those higher home values, which tracks with the school’s below-average poverty rate for an urban elementary. For a family buying or renting in this part of Little Rock, the housing costs will be a factor in the decision, but the school’s academic strength may offset that for many.

Walkability and street life vary within the city. Downtown and the River Market district offer a compact, walkable core with restaurants, shops, and cultural venues. The broader city is car-dependent outside that core, and Jefferson Elementary’s location at 2600 North McKinley Street places it in a more residential area. The Arkansas River Trail, a 17-mile path along both sides of the river, provides recreational access, and Pinnacle Mountain State Park sits northwest of the city.

The school itself lacks certain data that would give a fuller picture. Information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, course access, and staffing ratios was not available. For a parent concerned about school climate or the depth of enrichment offerings outside the core academics, this is a gap worth investigating. No program offerings were reported in the data, so it is unclear what, if any, specialized tracks or extracurriculars exist at this grade level.

What is clear is the academic foundation. Jefferson Elementary delivers high proficiency rates in a district where elementary outcomes vary widely across schools. For a family whose primary concern is solid instruction in math, reading, and science in a setting with a largely English-proficient, economically mixed student body, this school warrants serious consideration. A parent who needs specific support structures or wants a fuller sense of the school’s day-to-day environment will want to visit and ask questions the data does not answer.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 30% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 486%

School 86% · District 33% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 66 pts above county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 30% · ▲ 55 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 65 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 28% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 33% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 29% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Science

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 28% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 32% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 26% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

This schoolLITTLE ROCK 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-income67%Higher-income87%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income87%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income76%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income62%Higher-income91%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income94%49 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income88%34 pp gap