The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on North Heights Community School
North Heights Community School serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Texarkana School District on the Arkansas side of this border city. The school is an elementary-only building, so there is no graduation rate to consider and no secondary-level academic pathways such as Advanced Placement or dual credit. For a family looking at this school, the core question is what the early academic experience looks like for their child.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the school’s results show a mixed picture that varies notably by grade and subject. In third grade, both math and English language arts proficiency rates were roughly comparable to each other, with just over half of students reaching the proficient or above level. Science in third grade was somewhat lower, with fewer than half proficient. Fourth grade was the strongest year across all three subjects tested, with English language arts reaching a level where a clear majority of students met the bar, math also above half, and science around half. Fifth grade saw a drop: math proficiency fell to about a third, English language arts to somewhat above two-fifths, and science to just over a quarter of students proficient. These are marked declines from the fourth-grade results, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports the transition to the higher elementary grades, particularly in math and science, where the drop is steepest.
Every student at North Heights qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of concentrated economic need across the entire student body. The enrollment is modest, and the student population is majority white, with a substantial share of Black students and smaller groups of Hispanic and Asian students. The school is not a charter or magnet, and the data does not indicate whether it receives Title I funding. Information on student support services such as special education and English learner programs was not available, so a parent with a child in those categories should ask the school directly about what is offered.
Relative to other districts in Miller County, North Heights’ overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects sits above the midpoint. There are only a handful of districts in the county for comparison, so this position is a useful but narrow gauge. Within the Texarkana district, the school is one of several elementaries, but the available data does not include comparisons to other district elementary schools, so it is not possible to say how it stacks up against its immediate peers.
The community context matters for families considering a move to the area. Texarkana, Arkansas is a mid-sized border city that functions commercially as a single urban area with its Texas twin. The local economy is anchored by the Red River Army Depot, health care, manufacturing, and retail. The city’s population has been declining modestly over the past decade, and housing values are below state and national benchmarks, making homeownership more accessible than in many other parts of Arkansas. Rents are also moderate relative to incomes. The downtown area has walkable historic blocks and several museums, but the city spreads over a large area, and most residential neighborhoods require a car. The Texarkana School District recently completed a facilities plan, but no significant programmatic changes or strategic priorities were publicly reported in search results.
For a parent or resident, North Heights Community School presents itself as a neighborhood elementary serving a high-need student body. Academic results are strongest in fourth grade and weaker in fifth, with particular soft spots in fifth-grade math and science that merit a closer look. The school’s above-midpoint position within Miller County is a functional reference point, but the county comparison set is small. The surrounding city offers an affordable housing market and a stable if slowly shrinking population, with employment tied to a mix of industrial, military, and health-care sectors. Families who value a small-school environment and want to engage directly with the school around the fifth-grade transition may find this a reasonable fit, but those seeking robust data on special programs or student support services will need to ask the school directly.
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