Arkansas Releases 2025-2026 School and District Letter Grades

Three years ago, Arkansas launched a redesigned accountability formula that clearly defines the bar for academic excellence and elevates Arkansas’ focus on Achievement, Growth, and Readiness to ensure every student is prepared for what comes next. These letter grades affirm what ATLAS assessment results revealed earlier this year – LEARNS is working. We’re seeing improved student outcomes across the state.

Letter grades give families and communities a clear view of how their local districts and individual schools are performing. This is only the second year district letter grades have been assigned to help communities focus more directly on school improvement. Several districts that received F ratings last year showed significant growth, which is reflected in their improved district ratings.

“When we passed Arkansas LEARNS, we promised to raise the bar for our schools and give every child the opportunity for success,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Three years later, the results continue to speak for themselves: test scores are up, and more school districts are improving than falling behind, building on the historic gains we saw in this year’s ATLAS scores. Arkansas teachers and schools are helping students achieve more, our schools are getting better and LEARNS is working.”

“Across Arkansas, schools and districts are making meaningful progress, with higher achievement, strong growth, and sustained improvement,” Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said. “These letter grades reflect the hard work of educators, students, and families, as well as the targeted supports provided through LEARNS. We will continue building on this momentum to ensure every student has access to the instruction, resources, and opportunities needed to succeed.”

The state has also seen a decrease in the number of schools receiving a rating of D or F this past year. State literacy coaches, individual reading and math plans, and high-impact tutoring are among the LEARNS components focused on continuous school improvement.

District Letter Grades

District letter grades also improved in 2025-2026, with 23 more districts earning A or B letter grades and 12 fewer districts receiving D or F grades.

School and district letter grades and data are available to the public through family-friendly school and district report cards on myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov. ADE redesigned these report cards in 2025 to make school and district performance easy to understand. They include color-coded ratings to provide insight into how the school’s performance compares to other schools, video explainers for parents, and other features that make accountability information transparent and accessible.

For more information about Arkansas’ accountability system, including a list of 2025-2026 school and district letter grades, visit https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/public-school-accountability.