Can I use Howard County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Howard County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Howard County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Howard County?

Start with the 9 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Howard County Schools & Education

Name: Howard County, Arkansas Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Howard County, Arkansas

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

School Score

61/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

94.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

94.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 90.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,072

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,160

School Score

61/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 38/100

State Score Position

of 75 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Howard County

Measured School Summary

Howard County performs at an average level with a school score of 61/100 and a solid graduation rate of 94.1%.

Funding Context

At $7,072 per pupil, Howard County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 62% above the Arkansas average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 3.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 15% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Howard County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

9 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

61/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #2 of 75 Arkansas counties with school score data.

Completion

94.1%

3.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,072

$912 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Howard County has 9 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Howard County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Howard County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

of 75 Arkansas counties with school score data. The county score is 23 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

1,931 students

Elementary 1Middle 2High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

523 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.

Elementary and high visible

375 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Howard County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Howard County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Howard County, Arkansas

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Nashville Schools Drive Success

The Nashville School District is the county's largest, serving 1,931 students across four different campuses. The Dierks and Mineral Springs districts provide smaller, community-focused alternatives for the rest of the county.

Balanced Learning Environments

The county's locales are split between five rural and four town schools, offering a healthy variety of settings. Nashville Primary is the largest school with 601 students, while the county average remains intimate at 325 students per campus.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Howard County

Reported Enrollment

2,921

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle2

High3

Other1

3 School Districts in Howard County

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

4 schools

1,931 students

DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT

2 schools

523 students

MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.

2 schools

375 students

9 Public Schools in Howard County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

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

Search schools

Level

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Showing 9 of 9 matching schools

Public schools in Howard County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
NASHVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL	Record	NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT	NASHVILLE, 71852Town: Distant	KG–3	Primary	601
NASHVILLE HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT	NASHVILLE, 71852Town: Distant	10–12	High	465
NASHVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT	NASHVILLE, 71852Town: Distant	7–9	Middle	465
NASHVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT	NASHVILLE, 71852Town: Distant	4–6	Middle	400
JOANN WALTERS ELEMENTARY SCH	Record	DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT	DIERKS, 71833Rural: Remote	KG–6	Primary	288
DIERKS HIGH SCHOOL	Record	DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT	DIERKS, 71833Rural: Remote	7–12	High	235
MINERAL SPRINGS ELEM. SCHOOL	Record	MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.	MINERAL SPRINGS, 71851Rural: Distant	KG–6	Primary	204
MINERAL SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL	Record	MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.	MINERAL SPRINGS, 71851Rural: Distant	7–12	High	171
UMPIRE K-12 SCHOOL	Record	COSSATOT RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT	UMPIRE, 71971Rural: Remote	KG–12	Other	92

NASHVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

NASHVILLE, 71852 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–3Primary601 students

NASHVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

NASHVILLE, 71852 / Town: Distant

Record10–12High465 students

NASHVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

NASHVILLE, 71852 / Town: Distant

Record7–9Middle465 students

NASHVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NASHVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

NASHVILLE, 71852 / Town: Distant

Record4–6Middle400 students

JOANN WALTERS ELEMENTARY SCH

DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT

DIERKS, 71833 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–6Primary288 students

DIERKS HIGH SCHOOL

DIERKS SCHOOL DISTRICT

DIERKS, 71833 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High235 students

MINERAL SPRINGS ELEM. SCHOOL

MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.

MINERAL SPRINGS, 71851 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–6Primary204 students

MINERAL SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

MINERAL SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST.

MINERAL SPRINGS, 71851 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High171 students

UMPIRE K-12 SCHOOL

COSSATOT RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT

UMPIRE, 71971 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–12Other92 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,072

State avg $6,160

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Howard County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How should I read the school score in Howard County?

Howard County has a school score of 61/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Howard County?

The high school graduation rate in Howard County is 94.1%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Howard County spend per student?

Howard County spends $7,072 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Howard County, Arkansas — FAQ

What are the major school districts in Howard County, Arkansas?

What is the school experience like in Howard County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Newton County

Arkansas

-1 pts

61/100

School score

Searcy County

Arkansas

-1 pts

60/100

School score

Pike County

Arkansas

-4 pts

58/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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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