Parkview Elementary School, Van Buren AR

Original Research by School Decision on Parkview Elementary School

Parkview Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Van Buren, a city in Crawford County that sits at the junction of interstate highways and the Arkansas River. The school is one of six elementary campuses in the Van Buren School District, which is the largest district in the county. Van Buren itself is a mix of historic downtown blocks, residential neighborhoods, and industrial parks; major employers include food processing, trucking, and healthcare, and the city has been growing steadily. Housing costs in the area are moderate compared to national averages.

On state assessments administered through Arkansas’s ATLAS system, Parkview’s results show a mixed but generally stronger picture in math than in reading, with science results varying notably by grade. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards rises from third to fourth grade and holds at a similar level in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency is lower across all three tested grades, with fourth graders performing somewhat better than third or fifth graders. Science results are uneven: third and fourth graders show solid proficiency rates, but fifth grade science drops significantly. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Crawford County. Parents should note that this comparison is at the district level rather than school-to-school within the county, so it provides a general sense of standing rather than a direct peer benchmark.

The student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable share of Hispanic students and a smaller but present group of students identifying as two or more races. About three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a level that indicates a substantial proportion of families have lower household incomes. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the reported information, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education services and language support.

No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access was provided. Because Parkview is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the early grade band means some measures common in secondary schools do not apply. The school does not appear to be a charter or magnet campus, and no Title I status was listed.

The broader Van Buen School District context was not available from the research conducted. The district’s strategic priorities, recent curriculum changes, or facility plans would need to be confirmed through the district itself.

For a family considering Parkview, the academic picture is one where math performance is a relative strength and science is strong in the lower grades but weaker by fifth grade, while literacy is an area the school likely continues to work on. The student population is diverse in socioeconomic background but not in racial composition, which is largely white. The school sits in a city that is growing and has a stable industrial and commercial base, with housing costs that are not out of line with statewide averages. The absence of special-population and staffing data means some important questions about student support and classroom conditions cannot be answered from this information alone.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 45% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 42% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 37% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 32% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Science

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 38% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 37% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

This schoolVAN BUREN 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-income32%Higher-income58%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income64%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income65%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income55%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income55%15 pp gap