The Eureka Springs School District didn’t skip a beat when it came to new state-mandated testing that made its debut last spring.
Preliminary results of the state ATLAS testing for students in grades 3 through 10 showed the district fared better than the state average in every grade and every subject.
“We were higher than the state average in everything,” Eureka Springs Superintendent Bryan Pruitt said of the scores, which were presented as part of the district’s annual report to the public during the monthly school board meeting on Monday, Oct. 14. “I am very pleased with the way it turned out. We got the scores [Monday] and quickly dissected it.”
ATLAS, which stands for Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System, tests students in math, science and English language arts.
In math, students in all grades scored at least 11 points higher than the state average, the results showed. Eighth-graders scored a district-best 24 points higher than the state average and fourth-graders scored 23 points better. Students in the district scored 20 points better than the state average for algebra.
In science, students in the third and seventh grades scored 15 points higher than the state average while students who took the biology test averaged a district-best 30 points higher than those who took the test across the state.
“The state average in biology was 36 and we scored 66,” Pruitt said. “That’s a 30-point difference. That’s really exceptional for biology.”
All grade levels also fared better than the state average in English language arts with eight of the 10 grades scoring higher by double digits. Fourth-graders scored 22 points higher than the state average and fifth-graders’ scores were 21 points higher.
“Fourth- and fifthgrade students rocked it in English language arts,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt also reported that the district fared better than state average in Advanced Placement exams, which had a student enrollment growth of 22 percent in the 2023-2024 school year.
Thirty of 44 students earned college credits in the AP program and students fared better than the state average in all subjects of ACT testing.
In all, the district rose seven spots to the No. 21 school district in the state in school performance, Pruitt said, adding that ESHS is ranked the No. 9 high school in Arkansas.
“We’ve been in the top 10 the last two or three years,” Pruitt said. “It’s really tough to hang on to that, but hopefully we can.”
The report to the public also included a financial update.
“We have decreased our debt and increased our revenue,” Pruitt said. “That’s always a plus thing when you’re able to do that.”
Pruitt pointed out that in the 2018-2019 school year the district owed $12 million.
“Now, in the 20232024 school year we owe a little over $8 million, but our assets have grown to almost $11.5 million,” he said. “We’ve increased revenue and decreased debt. That’s a positive for us and something worth celebrating.”
