AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, a moderately sized elementary school in COTTER, Arkansas, overseen by COTTER SCHOOL DISTRICT, educates 374 students, covering grades pre-K through 6.

COTTER SCHOOL DISTRICT comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 698 students; AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is among them.

Demographically, AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (95%). That composition is broadly in line with Baxter County as a whole.

Looking at school resources, AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.0:1, putting AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tighter than the state norm the norm. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Baxter County runs at roughly 52%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 22.3%; this one delivers 46.0%, a residual of +23.7 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Baxter County indicate median household income runs about $48,452, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 11 public schools in Baxter County (combined enrollment of about 4,984 students).

COTTER HIGH SCHOOL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 38.3%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has edged down 14%, going from 437 students in 2018 to 374 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the AMANDA GIST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.