The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Math. The lowest is 27% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Crawford Elementary School
Crawford Elementary School is a public elementary school in Russellville, Arkansas, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Russellville School District. As a KG–4 building, it does not have a graduation rate or high school outcomes; the academic picture is limited to the early grades it serves.
Russellville is the county seat of Pope County and home to Arkansas Tech University, a major employer along with Tyson, Con-Agra, Firestone, and the Arkansas Nuclear One plant just outside the city. The city borders Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River, and its Downtown Historic District on Main Street anchors civic life. The housing market is moderate in cost relative to the state and national medians, and the city has experienced modest population growth since 2020. The school sits in a mix of residential and commercial areas near the university and I-40.
The student body at Crawford is racially and ethnically diverse. About half of students are white, roughly a third are Hispanic, and smaller shares are Black or identify with two or more races. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator that the school serves a high-poverty population. No data on special education or English learner enrollment was reported in the available information.
On the Arkansas ATLAS assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Crawford Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades was below the midpoint among elementary schools in Russellville’s peer group. The proficiency index placed the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Pope County. In third grade, proficiency rates were modest across math, English language arts, and science; fourth-grade results were somewhat stronger, with a larger share of students meeting the state’s proficiency threshold in science and math than in third grade. English language arts in third grade was the weakest area. A parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports early reading and math foundations, particularly given the high level of economic need among students.
The school does not report chronic absenteeism data, and no information on discipline, staffing, or course access was available. Because Crawford serves only the primary grades, it does not offer the kind of advanced coursework or career pathways found at secondary schools; its focus is on building foundational academic skills. No magnet or charter designation applies, and Title I status was not indicated in the data.
For a family considering Crawford Elementary, the key context is that it operates in a district that serves a university town with a stable economic base, but the school itself serves a student population facing significant economic disadvantage. Academic proficiency rates are lower than those at some other elementary schools in the county, which is common in schools with concentrated poverty. The district did not report any major recent changes or initiatives, so families may want to ask directly about current instructional strategies, early literacy programs, and how the school addresses the needs of its student body.
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