Arkansas Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 75 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

90.3%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$6,160

Avg School Score

38/100

Total Schools

1,095

283 districts

State Overview

About Schools in Arkansas

This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.

Arkansas Graduation Rates Outpace National Average

Arkansas boasts a 90.3% average graduation rate, notably higher than the national benchmark of 87.0%. However, the state achieves this with a lean per-pupil expenditure of $6,160, which is less than half of the $13,000 national average.

Performance Varies Across 75 Arkansas Counties

While all 75 counties report data, significant gaps exist between the high 96.3% graduation rate in Newton County and the 79.1% rate in Pulaski County. School scores across the state fluctuate between a peak of 61.7 and a low of 45.4, reflecting a diverse educational landscape.

Dallas, Newton, and Howard Lead the State

Dallas County earns the top spot with a 61.7 score and a 95.0% graduation rate. Newton and Howard counties follow closely, both exceeding a 94% graduation rate while maintaining average school scores above 55.

State Score Context

How Arkansas Counties Are Distributed

75 of 75 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

100%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Best school counties

Best Counties for Public School Research in Arkansas

For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in Arkansas, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.

Short answer for Arkansas

Dallas County is the strongest county-level starting point in Arkansas by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 85/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.

Ranking methodology

75 of 75 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.

State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $6,160.

Top measured county school signals

Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.

1Dallas CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $9,54585/100 2Howard CountyGraduation 94.1% · Spending $7,07261/100 3Newton CountyGraduation 96.3% · Spending $6,58161/100 4Searcy CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $6,80360/100 5Pike CountyGraduation 94.9% · Spending $6,68958/100 6Stone CountyGraduation 92.0% · Spending $7,28557/100 7Calhoun CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $6,50157/100

Graduation-focused starting point

Newton County

96.3%

Newton County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in Arkansas. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.

Funding context to inspect

Dallas County

$9,545

Dallas County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.

Counties to research carefully

Jefferson County

8/100

Jefferson County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in Arkansas. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.

District research

Compare Arkansas public school districts before narrowing by address

Arkansas has 283 public school district records and 1,095 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.

View District Rankings

All Arkansas Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for Arkansas.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
Dallas County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $9,545	85/100	95.0%	$9,545
Howard County Graduation 94.1% Per pupil $7,072	61/100	94.1%	$7,072
Newton County Graduation 96.3% Per pupil $6,581	61/100	96.3%	$6,581
Searcy County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,803	60/100	95.0%	$6,803
Pike County Graduation 94.9% Per pupil $6,689	58/100	94.9%	$6,689
Stone County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,285	57/100	92.0%	$7,285
Calhoun County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,501	57/100	95.0%	$6,501
Van Buren County Graduation 92.5% Per pupil $7,008	55/100	92.5%	$7,008
Chicot County Graduation 93.6% Per pupil $6,688	55/100	93.6%	$6,688
Prairie County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,193	53/100	95.0%	$6,193
Franklin County Graduation 95.1% Per pupil $6,071	53/100	95.1%	$6,071
Cleburne County Graduation 93.6% Per pupil $6,488	53/100	93.6%	$6,488
Sharp County Graduation 94.2% Per pupil $6,321	53/100	94.2%	$6,321
Izard County Graduation 93.7% Per pupil $6,444	52/100	93.7%	$6,444
Desha County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $6,672	52/100	92.8%	$6,672
Woodruff County Graduation 91.4% Per pupil $7,079	51/100	91.4%	$7,079
Conway County Graduation 95.8% Per pupil $5,769	51/100	95.8%	$5,769
Columbia County Graduation 93.4% Per pupil $6,363	51/100	93.4%	$6,363
Cleveland County Graduation 96.1% Per pupil $5,648	50/100	96.1%	$5,648
Fulton County Graduation 92.3% Per pupil $6,572	49/100	92.3%	$6,572
Johnson County Graduation 93.5% Per pupil $6,242	49/100	93.5%	$6,242
Monroe County Graduation 92.6% Per pupil $6,458	49/100	92.6%	$6,458
Perry County Graduation 92.9% Per pupil $6,305	48/100	92.9%	$6,305
Pope County Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $6,243	48/100	93.0%	$6,243
Boone County Graduation 94.2% Per pupil $5,890	47/100	94.2%	$5,890
Clay County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $5,925	45/100	93.1%	$5,925
Cross County Graduation 92.5% Per pupil $6,064	44/100	92.5%	$6,064
Ouachita County Graduation 92.6% Per pupil $5,967	43/100	92.6%	$5,967
Hot Spring County Graduation 92.3% Per pupil $5,909	42/100	92.3%	$5,909
Lawrence County Graduation 93.2% Per pupil $5,432	41/100	93.2%	$5,432
Craighead County Graduation 92.1% Per pupil $5,845	41/100	92.1%	$5,845
Saline County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $5,415	41/100	93.1%	$5,415
Nevada County Graduation 91.4% Per pupil $6,245	40/100	91.4%	$6,245
Sebastian County Graduation 91.2% Per pupil $6,218	40/100	91.2%	$6,218
Bradley County Graduation 91.6% Per pupil $6,063	39/100	91.6%	$6,063
Yell County Graduation 91.7% Per pupil $6,040	39/100	91.7%	$6,040
Randolph County Graduation 91.7% Per pupil $6,013	39/100	91.7%	$6,013
Ashley County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $5,760	38/100	92.0%	$5,760
Little River County Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $5,253	38/100	92.8%	$5,253
Crawford County Graduation 90.6% Per pupil $6,203	37/100	90.6%	$6,203
Lincoln County Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $5,381	36/100	92.0%	$5,381
Faulkner County Graduation 91.4% Per pupil $5,756	35/100	91.4%	$5,756
Logan County Graduation 91.3% Per pupil $5,792	35/100	91.3%	$5,792
Polk County Graduation 91.2% Per pupil $5,801	35/100	91.2%	$5,801
Lonoke County Graduation 91.1% Per pupil $5,760	34/100	91.1%	$5,760
Mississippi County Graduation 88.2% Per pupil $6,564	34/100	88.2%	$6,564
Union County Graduation 90.3% Per pupil $5,923	33/100	90.3%	$5,923
Montgomery County Graduation 89.5% Per pupil $6,239	33/100	89.5%	$6,239
Baxter County Graduation 90.2% Per pupil $5,857	33/100	90.2%	$5,857
Independence County Graduation 91.5% Per pupil $5,372	33/100	91.5%	$5,372
Greene County Graduation 91.2% Per pupil $5,511	33/100	91.2%	$5,511
Lafayette County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $7,036	30/100	84.0%	$7,036
Benton County Graduation 89.2% Per pupil $5,983	30/100	89.2%	$5,983
Garland County Graduation 87.7% Per pupil $6,321	30/100	87.7%	$6,321
Washington County Graduation 87.8% Per pupil $6,307	30/100	87.8%	$6,307
Grant County Graduation 90.7% Per pupil $5,138	29/100	90.7%	$5,138
White County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $5,986	29/100	89.0%	$5,986
Hempstead County Graduation 88.1% Per pupil $6,051	28/100	88.1%	$6,051
Crittenden County Graduation 88.8% Per pupil $5,909	28/100	88.8%	$5,909
Sevier County Graduation 82.5% Per pupil $6,918	26/100	82.5%	$6,918
Poinsett County Graduation 85.2% Per pupil $6,459	25/100	85.2%	$6,459
Carroll County Graduation 85.7% Per pupil $6,362	25/100	85.7%	$6,362
Jackson County Graduation 83.7% Per pupil $6,646	24/100	83.7%	$6,646
Marion County Graduation 88.3% Per pupil $5,559	23/100	88.3%	$5,559
Scott County Graduation 85.9% Per pupil $6,184	23/100	85.9%	$6,184
Phillips County Graduation 84.7% Per pupil $6,046	19/100	84.7%	$6,046
Miller County Graduation 83.8% Per pupil $6,123	18/100	83.8%	$6,123
Pulaski County Graduation 79.1% Per pupil $6,536	18/100	79.1%	$6,536
Drew County Graduation 83.5% Per pupil $5,976	16/100	83.5%	$5,976
Madison County Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $6,136	16/100	82.0%	$6,136
Arkansas County Graduation 82.5% Per pupil $5,939	14/100	82.5%	$5,939
Lee County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $4,917	11/100	84.0%	$4,917
St. Francis County Graduation 83.3% Per pupil $5,314	11/100	83.3%	$5,314
Clark County Graduation 82.5% Per pupil $5,412	10/100	82.5%	$5,412
Jefferson County Graduation 80.5% Per pupil $5,539	8/100	80.5%	$5,539

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in Arkansas

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About Arkansas Schools

Which Arkansas counties have the highest graduation rates?

Newton County (96.3%), Cleveland County (96.1%), and Conway County (95.8%) currently lead Arkansas among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Arkansas?

Across Arkansas counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,160. The highest current county values are Dallas County ($9,545), Stone County ($7,285), and Woodruff County ($7,079). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

What are the best school counties in Arkansas?

Dallas County, Howard County, Newton County have the strongest measured county-level school signals in Arkansas, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data. These are county context rankings, not individual school ratings.

Which Arkansas county has the strongest measured school score?

Dallas County has the highest school score in Arkansas with a score of 85/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in Arkansas?

The average high school graduation rate across Arkansas counties is 90.3%, based on NCES data.

Which county in Arkansas has the lowest school score?

Jefferson County has the lowest school score in Arkansas with a score of 8/100. School scores reflect available graduation-rate and per-pupil spending signals.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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