Joe T. Robinson Middle School, Little Rock AR

Original Research by School Decision on Joe T. Robinson Middle School

Joe T. Robinson Middle School serves grades six through eight as part of the Pulaski County Special School District, situated in the western portion of Little Rock along Highway 10. The community context is Arkansas's capital city, a place that blends state government, healthcare, and commercial activity, anchored by employers like UAMS, Dillard's, and the state government itself. For families looking at the school, the surrounding housing market in this zip code shows home values that are well above the state average and sit at a premium relative to national benchmarks, which shapes the economic profile of the attendance area.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Black student population and a smaller Hispanic group. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that stands out given the elevated home values in the area and is a detail a parent may want to discuss directly with the school to understand the full picture of student needs and support structures.

Academically, Joe T. Robinson Middle School posts proficiency rates that sit in the top quartile among districts in Pulaski County, a strong result for the region. On the state's ATLAS assessment, math proficiency rates rise from about half of sixth graders to just over half of seventh and eighth graders meeting the benchmark. In English language arts, the pattern is steady: just under half of sixth and seventh graders scored proficient or above, and an even half of eighth graders did. Science results show a wider range, with sixth grade at a softer point near two-fifths proficient, improving to about half of seventh and eighth graders. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's composite proficiency index places it well above the median for Pulaski County districts, a clear strength for families comparing middle school options in the area.

As a middle school, Joe T. Robinson does not have a graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing were not available in the source material. A parent may wish to ask the school about those areas directly, as they are meaningful for understanding daily environment and opportunity.

The Pulaski County Special School District was declared unitary by a federal court in 2021, ending decades of court supervision under the desegregation case. That legal milestone means the district now operates without oversight on school assignments and transfers, a change that could affect how attendance boundaries and program access work for families in the years ahead.

Little Rock itself offers a wide array of civic and cultural anchors, from the Arkansas River Trail and Pinnacle Mountain State Park to the Clinton Presidential Center and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, all within reach of the school's location. The city's downtown River Market district provides walkable street life, while the broader area is largely car-dependent. For a family considering this school, the academic profile is the headline: solid proficiency that leads the county, set in a community with high housing costs and a district navigating its post-oversight era.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 29% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 26% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 22% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 30% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 25% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 27% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Science

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 25% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 24% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 27% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolPULASKI COUNTY SPECIAL 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.