Don Tyson School of Innovation, Springdale AR

Original Research by School Decision on Don Tyson School of Innovation

Don Tyson School of Innovation is a K-12 charter school in Springdale, Arkansas, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. As a charter school, it operates with its own framework within the broader Springdale School District. The student body is sizable for a single-campus school spanning all grades, and it draws a diverse population: a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Hispanic and white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. The school's youngest grades have very small enrollments, while the upper elementary and middle school grades each contain a moderate number of students, and the high school grades are similarly populated.

State test results from the most recent school year provide a mixed picture, with some important caveats. For grades three through five, enrollment in several subjects is small enough that results were suppressed for privacy reasons, so a parent cannot draw reliable conclusions about early elementary performance from those reports. In grades six through eight, where testing numbers are larger and results are reported, proficiency rates vary by subject and grade. In mathematics, the sixth grade posted a rate that sits roughly around the midpoint of the county, while seventh grade was slightly lower and eighth grade was lower still. In English language arts, rates in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades clustered near the middle of the county range. In science, rates in sixth through eighth grades were a bit stronger, with seventh and eighth grade results at a level above what the school saw in math. When combined across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Washington County districts. A parent should note that state testing data was not available for high school grades in this report, and the school's four-year graduation rate was also not available in the data, meaning a family would want to follow up directly with the school on those outcomes.

The community around the school is Springdale, a city with a strong industrial and commercial base. Publicly reported sources describe it as a hub for poultry processing, with major employers including Tyson Foods, George's, Cargill, and a range of manufacturing firms. Springdale has seen rapid population growth in recent years, and the city annexed the neighboring town of Bethel Heights in 2020. An EF3 tornado in 2022 caused heavy damage to parts of the city. The built environment includes a traditional downtown area along Emma Avenue, with civic anchors such as Arvest Ballpark and the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Home values in the area are higher than the Arkansas state benchmark but remain below the national benchmark; rents follow a similar pattern. A search for recent district-level changes that would affect families found little of lasting impact publicly reported.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that Don Tyson School of Innovation offers a K-12 charter option in a fast-growing, economically active city. The available test results for middle grades are mixed and slightly below the county midpoint, while data for younger grades and high school outcomes are incomplete in this record. Parents would want to ask the school directly about high school graduation rates, college and career readiness opportunities, and any special programs or pathways that align with its innovation focus.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

93.0%Cohort of 232 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

292 schools plotted. 5 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 40% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 33% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 38% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 44% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 38% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 34% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 32% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 30% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 32% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 36% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 39% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 37% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolSPRINGDALE 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income58%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income61%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income66%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income51%Higher-income66%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income69%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income44%16 pp gap