SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of the average-sized elementary schools in FORT SMITH, Arkansas, run under FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT, with 510 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 418 students per school, that is 22% larger than typical.

Within FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT, which oversees 27 schools and 14,164 students, SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports that 63% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest comes out to 14% White, 12% multiracial, 7% Black, 4% Asian. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 16%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.0:1, putting SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 91% of students at SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Sebastian County runs at roughly 65%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 25.4%, the actual is 20.6%, a residual of -4.8 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Sebastian County) logs that median household earnings sit near $57,790, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Sebastian County's 44 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,239 students), SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOL, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 17.9%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at SUNNYMEDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has edged down 20%, going from 634 students in 2018 to 510 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share edged down from 13% to 7%. Class-load math has loosened: from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 18.7:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.