Arkansas

More State News

Facts at a Glance

Use the Education Counts Database to find more detailed state information, ranks, comparisons across states, national statistics and more.
Governor:Mike Beebe
Commissioner of Education:Tom W. Kimbrell
Quality Counts state grade:B-
Pre-K-12 enrollment:482,114
Number of school districts:258
Number of public schools:1,110
Number of public school teachers:34,273
Unadjusted education spending per student:$9,281
Percent minority students:35.2%
Percent of students eligible for free/reduced price lunch:60.5%
Percent of students with disabilities:13.5%
Percent of English-language learners:6.5%
NAEP Mathematics 2011 percent proficient
4th grade math:37.3%
8th grade math:29.3%
NAEP Reading 2011 percent proficient
4th grade reading:30.1%
8th grade reading:27.8%

Teacher Employment Information

See information on Arkansas's certification requirements, salary information, and other teacher-employment data.

Get RSS Feed for This Topic Latest News

A plan to overhaul how education is provided in Arkansas has state leaders working against the clock to comply with a state supreme court decision declaring the education system unconstitutional.
March 12, 2003 - Education Week
The Arkansas supreme court has declared the state's school funding system unconstitutional, and in its strongly worded opinion late last month rebuked the state for not doing enough to provide all students with an adequate education.
December 4, 2002 - Education Week
A county judge's decision last year striking down Arkansas' school finance system is driving what may be the state's most determined effort ever to evaluate how its children are educated.
August 7, 2002 - Education Week
Athletic directors, educators, and coaches around Arkansas are speaking out against the state school board's decision to reinstate a policy that requires at least a 2.0 GPA for participation in sports and other extracurricular activities.
May 29, 2002 - Education Week
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas has proposed a broad education reform plan for a state that has struggled to improve student achievement in recent years, and that faces a court order to overhaul how it pays for schools.
January 23, 2002 - Education Week
An Arkansas jury has ordered an influential former state senator to pay about $1.2 million to the Arkansas School Boards Association for his role in a scheme to defraud the group's workers' compensation insurance trust.
September 12, 2001 - Education Week
In a ruling that Arkansas officials intend to challenge, a judge has struck down the state's formula for distributing money to schools, saying it is not adequate or fair to poorer districts.
June 6, 2001 - Education Week
Faced with starting school next fall with 2,000 teachers fewer than the state needs, the Arkansas board of education made it easier last week for uncertified teachers to land jobs in the state's classrooms.
April 25, 2001 - Education Week
The Arkansas Senate passed a bill last week that would require all high schools in the state to offer Spanish among their foreign-language offerings.
February 28, 2001 - Education Week
Flanked by states moving to raise their teachers' salaries, and having temporarily waived one of its own licensing requirements out of desperation, Arkansas is seeking a solution to a teacher shortage that policymakers there say already has reached "crisis" levels.
September 13, 2000 - Education Week

Most Popular Stories

Viewed

Emailed

Recommended

Commented