Arkansas Department of Education Releases Grades for School Districts
State officials said 26 districts earned As and 114 earned Bs, while fewer schools received Fs under the ATLAS-based grading system.
- On Thursday, the Arkansas Department of Education released 2025-26 school and district letter grades, reporting overall improvement with more A and B ratings and fewer D and F grades statewide.
- Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders attributed these academic gains to the LEARNS Act, the 2023 education law she championed that introduced a new grading formula based on student achievement, growth, and readiness metrics.
- Compared to last year, 23 additional school districts earned A or B grades, while 12 fewer districts received D or F rankings; 350 schools achieved a B, marking the largest increase.
- Education Secretary Jacob Oliva praised progress in North Little Rock, Crossett, and Fordyce, which improved from F to C after receiving literacy coaches and intensive tutoring support.
- However, Arkansas Education Association president April Reisma criticized the "rigid test-based A-F system," arguing it lacks transparency when private schools receiving state vouchers face no comparable accountability requirements.
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10 Articles
Arkansas Releases 2025-26 School Grades for Southeast Districts with Notable Improvements Across the Deltaplex
Schools across Southeast Arkansas have received their latest A-through-F performance grades following the release of Arkansas' 2025-26 school accountability results. The Arkansas Department of Education uses multiple measures of student performance in determining school accountability ratings rather than relying solely on the percentage of students [...]
Arkansas reports fewer failing schools and school districts in 2025-2026
The percentage of Arkansas schools and districts receiving failing or low grades from the state for their performance has decreased, according to data released by the state Department of Education Thursday. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and education officials touted the numbers as validation for her signature 2023 education law, the LEARNS Act. Education Secretary […]
Arkansas Education Department releases district letter grades (sort of)
The Arkansas Department of Education announced Thursday that they’ve released the official district and school letter grades for the 2025-26 school year. If you’re eager to see how your district did, though, you might need to wait a bit longer. The website where these grades are to be posted appeared to still show grades for the 2024-25 school year as the latest available around 4:45 p.m., suggesting some glitches are possibly glitching, and ma…
Arkansas school districts’ performance improved in 2025-26, according to state letter grades | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Letter grades for Arkansas schools and school districts improved in the 2025-26 school year, with more of each receiving As and Bs, and fewer receiving Fs, state officials announced on Thursday.
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