The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has released letter grades for schools in the state based on test results from the 2025-26 end-of-year Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System, known as ATLAS. Individual schools from north-central Arkansas did well, with 49 of the 63 schools, or 78%, earning either an A or B grade. Only one school was given an F grade. Of the 22 school districts, 19 of them earned either an A or a B grade.
The ATLAS tests are given to students in grades 3-10. The state’s grading system factors in how many students are meeting standards in math, science, and English language arts on the ATLAS, as well as how many students are showing growth in those areas. It places emphasis on the growth of the lowest-performing 25% of students.
For high schools, graduation rates are also factored in…