Valley View Intermediate School, Jonesboro AR

Original Research by School Decision on Valley View Intermediate School

Valley View Intermediate School serves third through sixth grade within the Valley View School District in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It is one of six public school districts that operate within the city limits of this mid-sized regional hub, which also hosts Arkansas State University, two hospital systems, and a cluster of food-processing plants. The school itself sits in the southern part of the city, a largely car-dependent, sprawling built environment where residential neighborhoods sit alongside commercial corridors and a university campus.

On the most recent state assessments administered through the Arkansas ATLAS system, Valley View Intermediate posted results that, when averaged across tested subjects and grade levels, placed it in the top quarter of school districts within Craighead County. A closer look at individual grades and subjects reveals variation. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from a lower point in fifth grade to a stronger showing in fourth and sixth grades. Reading and English language arts results were more consistent, with the higher end appearing in sixth grade and the lower end in third grade. Science proficiency rates were broadly similar across the four grades, with a modest uptick in the upper grades. A parent looking at the pattern across grade levels may find it useful to ask how the school supports students who enter fourth and fifth grade with math skills that are still developing, since those appear to be the softer spots. The school of about 900 students is large enough to provide a full set of grade-level peers but not so large that a student would get lost in the shuffle.

The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small American Indian or Alaska Native population. Just under a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is below the national average and suggests a middle-income skew relative to many other public schools in the region. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not provided, so a family with a child receiving specialized services or language support would want to confirm those programs directly with the school.

Jonesboro itself is a growing city. Its population has been rising steadily, and the local economy is anchored by the university, healthcare facilities, and food-processing employers. Housing values in the zip code that serves the Valley View attendance area are above the statewide typical home value, with a moderate year-over-year increase. Rents have risen more slowly. For a family moving into the area, the housing market here is more expensive than much of Arkansas, though still below the national benchmark. Estimated monthly mortgage and rent costs are such that the overall affordability picture is closer to average for a working professional household, but a family on a single income or working in a lower-wage sector would feel the pinch.

The Valley View School District itself has not undergone major recent policy shifts, construction projects, or millage changes that would have lasting impact, according to publicly reported information. The district remains accredited, and the school falls within a stable institutional environment. The absence of major disruption is itself a notable feature for families who value predictability in the intermediate years.

A student at Valley View Intermediate will spend these four grades in a school where most peers score at or above proficiency in reading and science, and where math performance is stronger in some grades than others. The school is part of a district that operates in a growing city with a diverse economy and a university presence. For a family that values a middle-income, majority-white peer environment and wants to see above-average test outcomes within the county, this school fits that profile. A family concerned about the dip in fifth grade math or wanting to understand how the school differentiates instruction across ability levels would be wise to ask those questions during a visit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

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

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 59%

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Science

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

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

This schoolVALLEY VIEW 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 3Lower-income37%Higher-income52%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income67%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income64%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income42%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income50%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income45%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income58%13 pp gap