Enrollment
297
Elementary
DISTRICT 354 · STATE 418
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 050633000353
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1600 CAVANAUGH RD, FORT SMITH, AR 72908 · (479) 646-0834 · Sebastian County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL297 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.1:1 · STATE 16.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
232 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 70%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 20 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 41 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 41 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 47 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 50 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 47 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 51 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (41) is 20% smaller than its 5th grade class (51).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 61% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ATLAS 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3+4)English Language Arts
26.2%
AR avg 34.9% . -5.5pp since 2023
Math
33.5%
AR avg 38.9% . -1.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the ATLAS, Arkansas's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arkansas schools, those numbers are about 35 and 39. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 1 points.
ATLAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 26.2% | 33.5% |
| 2023-24 | 31.7% | 34.5% |
% Proficient (Level 3+4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: ATLAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
30.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.8%
based on AR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 31% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% typical for Arkansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Arkansas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (30.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 297 | 78.1% | 30.9% |
| CAVANAUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FORT SMITH | 303 | 71.9% | 47.8% |
| BONNEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FORT SMITH | 287 | 74.6% | 40.3% |
| RAYMOND F. ORR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FORT SMITH | 235 | 70.6% | 39.1% |
| BARLING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BARLING | 316 | 78.2% | 36.6% |
| DWIGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RUSSELLVILLE | 234 | 82.5% | 27.3% |
Matched among Arkansas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arkansas | In Sebastian County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.9% | #284 of 461 | #13 of 23 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.5% | #273 of 465 ▼ 28 | #12 of 23 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 26.2% | #337 of 465 ▼ 75 | #15 of 23 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 297 | #394 of 531 | #18 of 23 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #167 of 480 | #3 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.0% | #9 of 480 | #2 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 78.1% | #218 of 513 | #13 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.9% | #147 of 311 | #13 of 18 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
297
-44 (-13%) vs 2020
+20% since 1990-91, when it was 247
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 14.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 297 | 19.4 | 15.3:1 | 78% (232) |
| 2023-24 | 287 | 19.3 | 14.9:1 | 82% (235) |
| 2022-23 | 309 | 20.2 | 15.3:1 | 77% (239) |
| 2020-21 | 341 | 23 | 14.8:1 | 74% (251) |
| 2017-18 | 349 | 24.3 | 14.4:1 | 32% (111) |
| 2015-16 | 308 | 21 | 14.7:1 | 67% (207) |
| 2010-11 | 303 | 20 | 15.2:1 | 61% (184) |
| 2000-01 | 278 | 20 | 13.9:1 | 40% (110) |
| 1990-91 | 247 | 10 | 24.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Federal records list BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL as an elementary school in FORT SMITH, Arkansas. A federal count lists 297 students at the school, in pre-K through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Arkansas is about 418, so this school runs 29% smaller than that.
FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT has 14,164 students spread across 27 schools.
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 46%. It is also 18% Hispanic, 18% multiracial, 11% Black, and 6% Asian. Sebastian County's residents are about 68% White, 22 points above the school's share. The chance that two students picked at random at BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 71%.
A ratio of 15.3:1 comes from the school's 19.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in Arkansas have a similar average ratio of 16.0:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 78% in 2024-25. The average for public schools in Sebastian County is 65%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL would score about 30.8%. It scores 30.9%, within a point of that figure.
Sebastian County census figures show that median household income is about $57,790, roughly 23% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is among the 44 public schools in Sebastian County.
Nearest public school: CAVANAUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, about 0.4 miles away. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 40.9%; BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's is 30.9%, ranking 7th of 9.
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is coded as City: Small in federal locale data.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL went from 341 students to 297.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Sebastian County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
128,900
Census ACS
Median income
$57,790
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
44
20,239 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT
- NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,231 students
- SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,053 students
- RAMSEY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 801 students
- DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- L. A. CHAFFIN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 711 students
Other schools in FORT SMITH
- NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,231 students
- SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,053 students
- RAMSEY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 801 students
- DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- L. A. CHAFFIN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 711 students
Other Beard Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Beard Elementary. BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Beard Elementary SchoolHELOTES, TX · 499 students
- Beard Elementary SchoolChicago, IL · 327 students
Nearby schools
- CAVANAUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.4 mi · 303
- ELMER H. COOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.6 mi · 459
- CARNALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.7 mi · 172
- HAAS HALL ACADEMY FORT SMITH2.2 mi · 101
- RAYMOND F. ORR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.3 mi · 235
- Singleton Elementary School2.8 mi · 168
Frequently asked questions
About BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow large is BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 297 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL have?
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL employs 19 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.3:1.
What is the student diversity at BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 46% White, 18% Hispanic, 11% Black, 6% Asian, 18% Two or more.
What district is BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in?
BEARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.