Magazine Elementary School, Magazine AR

Original Research by School Decision on Magazine Elementary School

Magazine Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Magazine, Arkansas. It is the elementary campus of the Magazine School District, and the school sits within the town's footprint on East Priddy Street. The student body is overwhelmingly White, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which the district addresses by offering free breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack to all students every school day.

The school's academic results on the Arkansas ATLAS assessments in the most recent testing year show a varied picture by both subject and grade level. In fourth grade, performance was a clear strength, with a strong majority of students scoring at or above the proficiency benchmark in math, English language arts, and science. Sixth graders also posted solid results, with roughly half meeting the bar in English language arts and science, and about a third doing so in math.

Other grade levels were softer. Third-grade students showed low proficiency rates across all three subjects, a pattern that a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand what early literacy and math supports are in place. Fifth-grade results landed in a middle zone, with proficiency rates below half in each subject, though higher than the third-grade numbers. When the school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades is compared to other districts in Logan County, it sits in the top quartile, indicating that on a composite basis the school performs well relative to its immediate neighbors. The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and student discipline were not available.

The district provides several lasting benefits that families may find valuable. Through a partnership with Arkansas Tech University, students can earn free concurrent college credit in career-based courses such as banking, construction technology, education, and welding. The district also operates a school-based Magazine Health and Wellness Center that offers free, on-campus health services to students. These programs represent ongoing investments in student support that go beyond the typical elementary school offering.

Magazine itself is a remote, rural community that has seen gradual population decline over recent decades. The town's economy historically centered on agriculture and a railroad depot, but today it functions as a quiet residential community with small local services. Housing values in the area are below both the state and national benchmarks, and the town is car-dependent with no public transit. The school is integrated into the small town center rather than separated onto a distant campus, and the district is a significant local employer. Mount Magazine State Park, the tallest mountain in Arkansas, lies a short distance to the east and serves as the primary regional recreational anchor.

The student enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving these grades, and the school is not a charter or magnet institution. No data was available on gifted or special education program access, or on English learner services, so a family with specific needs in those areas should contact the school directly. Magazine Elementary offers a straightforward, rural public school experience with the notable additions of free meals for all, a school-based health center, and early access to college-level career coursework, all within a small district that performs competitively within its county.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 6 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Science

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 17 pts above state median

This schoolMAGAZINE 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-income54%Higher-income30%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income50%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income20%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income70%20 pp gap