School Letter Grade
In 2013, the Arkansas Legislature passed A.C.A.§ 6-15-2105 which requires the state to implement an A-F grading scale for schools. Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, Arkansas will move to a new accountability system aligned to state educational priorities: Achievement, Growth, and Readiness to ensure every student is ready for what comes next.
In the new accountability formula, each school will earn points for nine measures that are equally weighted, as described in the table below.
2025 Arkansas School Rating Overview
Indicator | Elementary & Middle School (K-8) | High School (9-12) |
Measure Description (9 total) | Measure Description (9 total) | |
Achievement Are students achieving level 3 & 4 on state assessments? | % Proficient English Language Arts | % Proficient English Language Arts |
% Proficient Math | % Proficient Math | |
% Proficient Science | % Proficient Science | |
Growth of All Students Are students achieving their individualized growth targets? | % Met Growth Target English Language Arts & English Language Proficiency (ELP) | % Met Growth Target English Language Arts & English Language Proficiency (ELP) |
% Met Growth Target Math | % Met Growth Target Math | |
% Met Growth Target Science | % Met Growth Target Science | |
Growth of Lowest Quarter Are the students who are farthest behind their peers growing? | % Met Growth Target English Language Arts | % Met Growth Target – ELA, Math, and Science combined |
% Met Growth Target Math | ||
% Met Growth Target Science | ||
Success Ready Graduate Are students graduating in four years? Are students demonstrating postsecondary readiness for enlistment, enrollment, or employment? | Not included in K-8 formula | % Graduating in four year cohort |
Not included in K-8 formula | % Graduates with merit or distinction A transitional readiness measure will be used until Success Ready Pathways are fully implemented. |
Pursuant to HB 1598 of the 2025 legislative session that proposes that ADE "shall not assign to public schools new school ratings calculated under the current school rating system" for the 2023-2024 school year. DESE will release an updated My School Info dashboard in the fall of 2025 when school letter grades are next reported.
Setting a New Baseline: Arkansas's New Accountability Formula
The DESE finalized the new accountability formula through a transparent, educator-driven and expert-led process to set thresholds for A-F ratings in April 2025. The grading scale is set to ensure that performance in each indicator is equally prioritized and thresholds effectively identify both exceptional schools and schools in need of critical support. Supports for the revised formula can be found in Training and Support Resources at the top of the page.
