Arkansas · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Arkansas

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
46,724
Students enrolled
57/100
Avg quality score
B-
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Hampton School District in Hampton leads Arkansas's districts with an average school quality score of 66.5/100 across 2 schools.

66.5/100
top district score (grade B-)
2
schools in Hampton School District
543
students in the top district
57/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Hampton School District Hampton B- 66.5
2 Jasper School District Jasper C+ 63.7
3 Booneville School District Booneville C+ 62
4 Melbourne School District Melbourne C+ 62
5 Cedar Ridge School District Newark C+ 62
6 Nemo Vista School District Center Ridge C+ 61.7
7 Danville School District Danville C+ 60
8 Lavaca School District Lavaca C 59.7
9 Haas Hall Academy Fayetteville C 59.5
10 West Side School District Greers Ferry C 59.5
11 Yellville-Summit School Dist. Yellville C 59
12 Caddo Hills School District Norman C 59
13 Midland School District Pleasant Plains C 59
14 Paris School District Paris C 58.3
15 Ouachita School District Donaldson C 58
16 Atkins School District Atkins C 57.7
17 Mammoth Spring School District Mammoth Spring C 57.5
18 Huntsville School District Huntsville C 57.3
19 Hazen School District Hazen C 57
20 Lafayette County School District Lewisville C 57
21 Poyen School District Poyen C 57
22 Mcgehee School District Mcgehee C 56.3
23 Newport School District Newport C 56
24 Charleston School District Charleston C 56
25 Harmony Grove School District Camden C 55.7
26 Mountainburg School District Mountainburg C 55.7
27 Horatio School District Horatio C 55.5
28 East End School District Bigelow C 55.5
29 Maynard School District Maynard C 55.5
30 Dierks School District Dierks C 55.5
31 West Fork School District West Fork C 55.3
32 Ozark School District Ozark C 55.3
33 Lee County School District Marianna C 55
34 Mccrory School District Mccrory C 55
35 Nashville School District Nashville C- 54.8
36 Hope School District Hope C- 54.5
37 Woodlawn School District Rison C- 54.5
38 Prairie Grove School District Prairie Grove C- 54.3
39 Bauxite School District Bauxite C- 54
40 Carlisle School District Carlisle C- 54
41 Harrisburg School District Harrisburg C- 53.7
42 Piggott School District Piggott C- 53.5
43 Rector School District Rector C- 53.5
44 South Side School District Bee Branch C- 53.5
45 Jessieville School District Jessieville C- 53.3
46 Mountain View School District Mountain View C- 53
47 Riverview School District Searcy C- 53
48 Lakeside School District (Chicot County) Lake Village C- 53
49 Marmaduke School District Marmaduke C- 53
50 Spring Hill School District Hope C- 53

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Arkansas?

The top-ranked district in Arkansas is Hampton School District in Hampton with 543 students across 2 schools. Average quality score: 66.5/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated?

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Arkansas?

Arkansas has 50+ school districts serving 491,340 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 13.6:1.

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.