The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Math. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mineral Springs Elem. School
Mineral Springs Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the Mineral Springs School District, a rural district in Howard County in southwestern Arkansas. The town of Mineral Springs, a small incorporated city, was historically a cotton and industrial hub, and is now described as home to many of the county’s industrial workers. The town’s population has seen a modest decline in recent years, and the area retains the feel of a tight-knit rural community with a slower pace of life. No major new housing developments or growth initiatives were identified in publicly available sources, and no recent changes to district operations, curriculum, or tax measures surfaced in search results.
The elementary school is the sole public school in the district serving this grade band, and it sits within the Mineral Springs School District, which consolidated several smaller schools in the 1930s. The school building is part of the small-town civic fabric rather than a separate campus.
The student body is diverse. A majority of students are Black, with a smaller share identifying as White, and another portion identifying as Hispanic. A meaningful number of students are of two or more races, with small numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian students represented as well. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a strong indicator of the community’s economic context.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show the school’s performance on the Arkansas ATLAS assessment. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged across grade levels, with fourth grade reaching the highest figure. Third, fifth, and sixth grade math proficiency rates were lower. In English language arts, proficiency rates were low across the board, with third and fifth grade results particularly soft, while fourth and sixth grade posted somewhat higher figures. Science results followed a similar pattern, with third and sixth grade showing the lowest rates and fourth grade the highest.
Because the school serves only kindergarten through sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. No data on chronic absenteeism was available for this school. A parent may want to ask the school directly about attendance patterns. Staffing details, such as class sizes or teacher experience, were also not provided.
The school’s overall proficiency, measured as the average of all tested subjects and grades, falls below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Howard County. Three districts are in that comparison set. This is a useful context: the school’s results are on the lower end among county peers.
Mineral Springs Elementary is a school where the vast majority of families are navigating economic challenges, and the academic results on state tests indicate that many students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. The school’s mission, at its core, is to serve a rural community where the district has remained stable without visible recent upheavals or new programs. A parent moving to the area should expect a small, close-knit setting and should plan to engage directly with the school about academic supports, as the state testing data shows clear areas where the school is working to improve student outcomes.
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