While on a whole, the Arkansas education system may not receive any special distinctions, a handful of its public school districts rank among the finest in the nation. Here’s a closer look at the Natural State’s five best school districts. 

Greenbrier Public Schools is the best school district in Arkansas. GPS is a medium-sized district of six schools serving over 3,000 students in the small city of Greenbrier, along with parts of eight other communities in the region. The district’s high school is one of the best in the state and has a graduation rate of over 97 percent.   

Earning the #2 spot is Benton School District, comprising seven schools serving the Little Rock suburb of Benton, as well as parts of surrounding communities. Every school in the district is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education, and BSD recently reported its highest graduation rate in five years.  

The 3rd best school district in Arkansas is Greenwood School District, long one of the highest-performing in the state. Students in the district regularly earn ACT scores above state and national averages, as well as scoring among the top five schools in the state in math and literacy on the ACT Aspire exam. 

Valley View Public Schools is the 4th best school district in Arkansas. Comprising three schools in southwest Jonesboro, VVSD is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education and its junior high earned National Blue Ribbon recognition in 2015. 

Lakeside School District, which serves the resort community of Hot Springs, completes the list of Arkansas top five school districts. Students at Lakeside’s four schools regularly distinguish themselves through high performance in assessment testing and by earning a high number of scholarships.  

Top School Districts in Arkansas, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.