The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Paris Elementary School
Paris Elementary School serves children from prekindergarten through fourth grade as part of the Paris School District in Logan County, Arkansas. A parent considering this school will find a small, rural community setting where the school is a central institution, and where academic performance presents a clear picture of strengths in some areas and real challenges in others.
The school’s enrollment is modest for a PK-4 building, and the student body is predominantly white, with the largest minority group being students who identify as two or more races, followed by a smaller share of Hispanic students. Every student enrolled qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a fact that reflects the economic realities of the community.
Paris itself is a small rural county seat with a mixed economic history. Once a coal-mining town that saw that industry decline by the 1960s, the local economy has since diversified into manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism tied to nearby Mount Magazine State Park. The town has experienced population decline in recent decades, yet the school district has reportedly seen enrollment rise. The schools are located within the town itself, not on isolated campuses, and the downtown area centers on the Logan County Courthouse square with a seasonal farmers market. The community is low-density, laid out along Highway 22, and street life is tied to events like the annual Frontier Day and Butterfly Festival. No major new housing developments or construction projects were identified in available sources.
On state assessments, the results are mixed enough that a parent will want to look closely at their own child’s grade and subject. In math, performance is uneven. Third graders were below where most families would hope, but fourth graders posted a much stronger result that is well above the midpoint on state expectations. In English language arts, the pattern is similar but the numbers are lower overall. Third-grade proficiency was weak, while fourth graders improved, though even that result sits right at the middle. Science scores follow the same grade-level pattern: third grade was low, fourth grade climbed but remained below half of students meeting the bar. Looked at across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile among districts in Logan County. That is a meaningful distinction, but it is also a relative one in a small county with only a handful of districts. Within this building, the jump between third and fourth grade in every subject is striking and is something a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
Because Paris Elementary only serves grades PK through 4, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school does not report chronic absenteeism data, and no information on discipline, staffing ratios, or course access was available. The school is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status was not provided.
No recent district-level changes, referendums, or program shifts were found in available sources. The district appears to have been stable in terms of governance and offerings in recent years.
For a family weighing this school, the takeaway is that Paris Elementary serves a community that is economically stretched, rural, and small. Academically, fourth grade looks like a relative bright spot in math, while early literacy and science across both tested grades are soft. A parent whose child is entering third grade should expect to find that the school has work to do, and should ask what supports are in place. The comparison to other Logan County districts is favorable overall, but that is partly a function of the small pool. The school is the kind of place where the community and the school are tightly woven together, and for a family who values that small-town connection, that is a real strength.
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