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Which teacher or staff member at ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
461
Elementary
DISTRICT 404 · STATE 418
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CONWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 050459000185
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1601 S. DONAGHEY ST, CONWAY, AR 72034 · (501) 450-4815 · Faulkner County
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL461 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of Arkansas public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Arkansas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.7:1 · STATE 16.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
293 students
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 70%
Community
6
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 84 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 91 | 20% |
| Grade 2 | 101 | 22% |
| Grade 3 | 100 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 85 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (84) is about the same size as its 4th grade class (85).
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · 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
29.1%
AR avg 34.9% . -13.3pp since 2023
Math
23.6%
AR avg 38.9% . -23.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the ATLAS, Arkansas's statewide test, about 29 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 24 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 13 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 23 points.
ATLAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 29.1% | 23.6% |
| 2023-24 | 42.4% | 46.9% |
% 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
34.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.2%
based on AR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (34.0% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 461 | 63.6% | 34.0% |
| THEODORE JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONWAY | 491 | 65.0% | 33.9% |
| PRESTON & FLORENCE MATTISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONWAY | 417 | 70.5% | 35.1% |
| RINGGOLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BENTON | 511 | 62.0% | 26.4% |
| ANGIE GRANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BENTON | 340 | 66.2% | 27.1% |
| ROBERT L. DAVIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALEXANDER | 504 | 73.8% | 34.7% |
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 ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arkansas | In Faulkner County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #258 of 461 | #14 of 18 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 23.6% | #363 of 465 ▼ 231 | #16 of 18 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 29.1% | #301 of 465 ▼ 164 | #16 of 18 ▼ 4 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 461 | #202 of 531 | #6 of 18 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.9:1 | #295 of 480 | #10 of 18 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.0% | #15 of 480 | #2 of 18 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.6% | #339 of 513 | #8 of 18 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.5% | #106 of 138 | #6 of 8 |
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
461
+32 (+7%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 427
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
was 16.5:1
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 | 461 | 27.4 | 16.9:1 | 64% (293) |
| 2023-24 | 454 | 26.3 | 17.3:1 | 65% (294) |
| 2022-23 | 429 | 24.5 | 17.5:1 | 62% (266) |
| 2020-21 | 429 | 26 | 16.5:1 | 62% (266) |
| 2017-18 | 441 | 27.5 | 16.1:1 | 22% (95) |
| 2015-16 | 431 | 28 | 15.4:1 | 53% (230) |
| 2010-11 | 519 | 28 | 18.5:1 | 28% (146) |
| 2000-01 | 397 | 25 | 15.9:1 | 29% (114) |
| 1990-91 | 427 | 24 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a medium-sized elementary school for students in CONWAY, Arkansas. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 461 students in kindergarten through 4.
CONWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT has 16 schools; together they serve 10,212 students.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. The largest is White students, at 39%. Other students are 31% Black, 20% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. That is lower than the 79% White share among all Faulkner County residents. The school's diversity index is 70%, meaning two students picked at random have a 70% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 27.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 16.9:1. This ratio sits 0.9 above the 16.0:1 average for elementary schools in Arkansas. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 64%. That is 12 points above the 52% average for public schools in Faulkner County.
allk12 grades ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL a C+. The grade compares the school only with Arkansas public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Test results at ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are 2.2 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (34.0% actual, 36.2% predicted).
Federal survey data for Faulkner County show that the median household income is $67,289, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 35% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. Faulkner County is home to 37 public schools and about 18,977 public school students.
The closest public school to ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is CARL STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL, about 1.6 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 6th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's location as City: Small.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 32 more students in 2024-25.
Conversations here can range across enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Faulkner County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
127,717
Census ACS
Median income
$67,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
37
18,977 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in CONWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT
- CONWAY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,350 students
- CONWAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,568 students
- CARL STUART MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 752 students
- RUTH DOYLE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 547 students
- CAROLYN LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 514 students
- BOB COURTWAY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 498 students
Other schools in CONWAY
- CONWAY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,350 students
- CONWAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,568 students
- CARL STUART MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 752 students
- RUTH DOYLE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 547 students
- CAROLYN LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 514 students
- BOB COURTWAY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 498 students
Nearby schools
- CARL STUART MIDDLE SCHOOL1.6 mi · 752
- SALLIE CONE PRESCHOOL1.7 mi · 277
- MARGUERITE VANN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.7 mi · 359
- CAROLYN LEWIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.1 mi · 514
- CONWAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL2.6 mi · 1,568
- CONWAY HIGH SCHOOL2.7 mi · 2,350
Frequently asked questions
About ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow many students attend ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 461 students in grades KG-04.
What grades does ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades KG-04.
How many teachers does ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL have?
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL employs 27 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.9:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
At ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 39% White, 20% Hispanic, 31% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL public or private?
ELLEN SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by CONWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.