BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL operates as a small elementary-level community in BEARDEN, Arkansas, run under BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT. Current enrollment sits at 219 students spanning grades K through 6. By comparison, Arkansas's public schools average about 418 students each, so BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits 48% leaner than that benchmark.

BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 2 schools operated by BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT, a district that enrolls 446 students overall.

On the student-mix side, BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that the largest single group is White, at 56% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school records 35% Black, 5% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 20 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.2:1. The state averages around 16.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Ouachita County runs at roughly 86%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.8%; this one delivers 23.0%.

In the broader community, Ouachita County reports that median household earnings sit near $49,268, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Across Ouachita County's 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,268 students), BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: BEARDEN HIGH SCHOOL, around 0.1 miles off. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 21.8%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Over the past 7-year window. BEARDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment has contracted 17% since 2018, when it stood at 265 (now 219). Class-load math has fell: from 12.2:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.