The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary School
Washington Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Little Rock School District. Its students come almost entirely from the surrounding neighborhood in the southern part of the city, not from a magnet or charter application process. The school sits within Pulaski County, and a parent choosing this school is selecting a local, non-specialized elementary option within the district’s regular assignment boundaries.
The student body at Washington Elementary is overwhelmingly composed of children from low-income households, with a very high rate of eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic population and a small number of white and multiracial students. This is a large elementary school for its grade band in terms of enrollment size, and every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade has a similar number of students, giving it a stable, neighborhood feel.
On state assessments, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Pulaski County. Looking at the results by grade and subject, a very small share of students scored at the proficient or advanced level in math across grades three through five. In English language arts, performance was somewhat higher in fourth grade but remained very low in third and fifth grades. Science results followed a similar pattern, with fourth grade showing a modestly higher share of proficient students than third or fifth grade. Across all three subjects and all tested grades, the majority of students scored below the proficient threshold. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its instructional supports, intervention strategies, and any supplemental programs aimed at raising academic performance.
No graduation rate data is available because the school does not serve high school grades. Information about the school’s Title I status, discipline rates, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, and special education or English learner populations was not found in the available data. A parent interested in these aspects of the school environment should contact the school office for details.
Washington Elementary is not a charter school, and there was no indication in the data that it operates as a magnet or has a particular academic theme or program of choice. The Little Rock School District itself, according to the available research, did not show any recent major parent-relevant changes such as bond elections, boundary overhauls, or curriculum adoptions that would directly affect Washington Elementary’s day-to-day operation.
The school is located in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas’s capital and largest city. Little Rock is a dense urban environment with a mix of government, healthcare, banking, and retail sectors. Major employers include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dillard’s, and numerous other large organizations. The downtown River Market district and the Clinton Presidential Center are nearby civic and cultural anchors. The Arkansas River Trail provides a major recreational pathway through the city. Housing values and rents in the immediate area around the school are below both the state and national benchmarks, reflecting the neighborhood’s affordability. A family considering this school should be aware that the broader city is car-dependent outside the downtown core, and the school’s location on South Main Street is in a residential part of town.
For a family deciding whether this environment fits their child, the picture is straightforward. Washington Elementary is a high-poverty neighborhood school with low state test scores. Its strengths are its role as a community anchor and its size, which is typical for an urban elementary school. The school does not offer specialized programs or a selective admissions process. A parent whose priority is a strong academic track record from the earliest grades may find the proficiency data concerning and will want to investigate what academic interventions and enrichment are in place. A parent who values a neighborhood school that reflects the demographics of its immediate community, and who is prepared to be an active advocate for their child’s learning, may find it a viable local option. The available data does not provide a fuller picture of the school’s climate or student support systems, so a visit and a conversation with the principal would be an important next step.
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