The Hazen, Des Arc and Carlisle school districts received grades ranging from B to C in the state’s latest school accountability results, while individual schools saw both significant gains and declines.
The Arkansas Department of Education released letter grades for the 2025-26 school year Thursday, Sept. 17. Statewide, more districts and schools earned higher grades than a year earlier, but results varied among the three districts serving communities in and near Prairie County.
Hazen School District
The Hazen School District maintained a C but increased its accountability score from 394.33 points in 2024-25 to 421.35. Both of its schools improved from D’s to C’s.
Hazen Elementary increased from 359.58 to 396.22 points, while Hazen High School rose from 364.28 to 391.84 points.
“We have WONDERFUL NEWS! Hazen School District letter grades are RISING!” the district said in a Facebook post Thursday. “Congratulations to both buildings for the hard work and commitment to making our schools great!”
While achievement remained below statewide averages in several areas, Hazen showed stronger results in some measures of growth among lower-performing students. At the elementary school, 66% of low-performing students met their math growth targets, compared with 53% statewide.
At Hazen High School, the four-year graduation rate was 93%, compared with 91% statewide, while 65% of students met the state’s merit-and-distinction measure, compared with 52% statewide. Those two measures use 2024-25 data.
Des Arc School District
The Des Arc School District received a B for the second consecutive year, although its score declined from 531.78 points in 2024-25 to 465.69.
District students exceeded statewide averages in all three achievement areas. 46% met or exceeded grade-level standards in English language arts, compared with 37% statewide; 53% did so in math, compared with 38%; and 47% did so in science, compared with 42%.
Results differed sharply between the district’s two schools.
Des Arc High School maintained its B, with its score declining slightly from 516.27 to 508.20 points. The school was also designated an Arkansas Gem School and received recognition for Top 5% Achievement, Top 10% ELA Achievement and Top 10% Math Achievement.
At the high school, 51% of students met or exceeded grade-level standards in ELA, compared with 36% statewide. In math, 54% met or exceeded standards, double the 27% state average, while 54% did so in science compared with 40% statewide.
Des Arc Elementary, meanwhile, fell from a B to a D, with its score dropping from 473.65 to 355.79 points.
The elementary school’s achievement results included 53% of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards in math, above the 45% state average. Student growth was weaker, however. 34% met ELA/English language proficiency growth targets, compared with 52% statewide; 43% met math targets, compared with 51%; and 27% met science targets, compared with 49%.
Carlisle School District
The Carlisle School District maintained a C, with its score increasing slightly from 436.91 points to 441.25. Carlisle Elementary and Carlisle High School both received C’s for the second consecutive year.
Carlisle Elementary increased from 386.84 to 420.47 points, while Carlisle High declined from 437.98 to 421.06 points.
Math was a relative strength for Carlisle. At the elementary school, 51% of students met or exceeded grade-level standards in math, compared with 45% statewide. Among low-performing students, 69% met their math growth targets, compared with the state average of 53%.
Carlisle High also recorded strong growth among low-performing students, with 69% meeting math growth targets compared with 56% statewide and 67% meeting science growth targets compared with 54% statewide.
The high school’s four-year graduation rate was 98%, compared with 91% statewide.
Statewide results
The local results came as Arkansas schools showed improvement overall. Twenty-four more school districts received A or B grades in 2025-26 than the previous year, while 12 fewer received D or F grades. The number of individual schools receiving A’s increased from 128 to 141, while the number receiving F’s declined from 108 to 72.
Of Arkansas school districts, 26, or 10.2%, received A’s; 114, or 44.9%, received B’s; 88, or 34.7%, received C’s; 17, or 6.7%, received D’s; and nine, or 3.5%, received F’s.
This was the second year Arkansas issued district letter grades under the accountability system created through the 2023 LEARNS Act and the third year individual school grades were calculated using that framework.
The scores are based on the percentage of students reaching Levels 3 or 4 on the ATLAS assessment, academic growth and, for high schools and districts, four-year graduation and readiness measures.
State Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said 35 fewer individual schools received D or F grades than in 2024-25, representing 7,886 students. At the same time, 15,042 more students attended schools receiving A or B grades.
Schools receiving D or F grades receive additional visits from the Department of Education, support from educational cooperatives, literacy coaching and high-impact tutoring, Oliva said.
Reporting by Steve Brawner contributed to this story.
