The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 33% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Russellville Middle School
Russellville Middle School serves sixth and seventh graders within the Russellville School District, a single-building middle school for those two grades in a city that also hosts Arkansas Tech University, Lake Dardanelle, and major employers such as Tyson, ConAgra, and Firestone. The school sits in a community that blends historic downtown commerce, I-40 corridor development, and waterfront recreation. Housing values and rents have moved modestly over the past year, and the city has seen slow population growth concentrated within its existing land area, suggesting a stable residential environment.
The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic presence and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Asian students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the source material, a gap a parent may want to explore directly with the school.
On the state’s ATLAS assessment, math proficiency for sixth graders reached a rate that would be described as moderately below a majority of students, while seventh-grade math was a bit lower. In English language arts, roughly a third of students in each grade scored at the proficient level or above. Science results were similar, with about two-fifths of seventh graders and just over a third of sixth graders meeting the benchmark. Overall, the school’s composite proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter relative to districts in Pope County. This is a clear area where the school appears to be trailing its county peers, though the district’s other middle school may differ. The single school’s performance is a soft spot that prospective families might want to investigate further with the school, particularly around curriculum, intervention programs, and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting state standards.
Because the school only includes grades six and seven, there is no graduation rate or four-year cohort tracking to consider. Chronic absenteeism data was also absent. These gaps are typical for a middle school that feeds into a high school; families will want to look at the district’s high school for a complete picture of secondary outcomes.
The school building itself is located at a mid-town address in Russellville. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives of lasting note, so the school appears to be operating under its existing structure without recent upheaval. For a family considering this school, the central takeaway is a middle school serving two grades in a community with a solid economic base and modest growth, with a student population that is economically diverse and leans toward lower income. Academically, it sits below the midpoint of county districts, particularly on math and English proficiency, which may be an important consideration for parents weighing academic preparation for high school. A conversation with the school’s administration about academic support and enrichment offerings would be a reasonable next step.
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