The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ozark Upper Elementary School
Ozark Upper Elementary School serves just two grades, fourth and fifth, as a dedicated upper-elementary building within the Ozark School District. That focused grade band means students spend two years in one building before moving on to middle school, giving the school a clear mission and a faculty that concentrates on the academic and social transition from primary to secondary school.
Academically, the school's performance on the Arkansas ATLAS assessments places it above the midpoint among Franklin County districts when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. But the picture within the building is uneven. In fourth grade, proficiency in both math and English language arts reached a level close to half of students scoring at or above the state's standard. Fifth grade results were lower, particularly in science, where the share of proficient students was noticeably smaller than in fourth grade. A parent choosing this school will want to ask the school directly about how it supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks, especially in upper-elementary science and math, where the drop-off from fourth to fifth grade suggests a potential challenge.
The student body is predominantly white, with small representations of Hispanic, multiracial, and other groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with significant economic need. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available, so a family whose child receives those services should confirm with the school what supports are in place.
Ozark itself is a small city that functions as a hub for the surrounding river valley and wine country. Major employers include industrial plants such as a turkey processor and a carbon manufacturer, and the Arkansas Tech University satellite campus adds a college-going presence. The town’s housing market is modest; home values sit comfortably below the state average, making it an affordable place for families. The district is described as expanding, and while no recent major building projects or program changes were identified in publicly available records, the district’s growth trajectory may be something to watch for families considering a move into the area.
Because the school covers only two grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available for comparison. For a family evaluating the school, the main questions revolve around academic support capacity in the later grade and the fit between the school’s economic context and a family’s expectations for peer environment. The school’s size is moderate for a upper-elementary, and its location on the edge of town means a short bus or car ride for most families in the district. The overall picture is of a functional, mid-performing school in a stable, affordable small town, with no dramatic red flags but with clear areas where a cautious parent will want to dig deeper.
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