What share of students in Arkansas are proficient in math?

In 2024, 20% of eighth graders in Arkansas public schools were at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (6th lowest among the 50 states and DC) and 25% in reading, compared with 27% and 30% in 2019 (national public 2024: 27% and 29%).

Education in Arkansas, United States: official figures

88.2% of public high school students in Arkansas graduated within four years of starting ninth grade in the 2021-22 school year (the adjusted cohort graduation rate); joint 13th highest among the 49 states (including DC) with data (U.S.: 86.6%).

High school graduation rate (4-year ACGR)

88.2%

2021-22

NAEP fourth-grade reading score

210

2024

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics score

266

2024

Current spending per pupil, public schools

$13,873

FY2024

Public school enrollment

484,978

Fall 2023

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

27.1%

2024

Is the graduation rate in Arkansas rising?

The four-year graduation rate in Arkansas was 88.2% in 2021-22, compared with 84% in 2011-12 and 87.6% in 2018-19, before the pandemic; nationally the rate went from 80% in 2011-12 to 86.6% in 2021-22.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate for disadvantaged students in Arkansas?

In 2021-22 the four-year graduation rate in Arkansas was 85.4% for economically disadvantaged students, 82.9% for students with disabilities and 82.0% for English learners (U.S.: 81.3%, 71.4%, 72.1% respectively).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate by race in Arkansas?

By race and ethnicity, the 2021-22 graduation rate in Arkansas was 84.7% for Black, 86.7% for Hispanic and 89.8% for White students (U.S.: 81.0%, 82.8%, 89.8%).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Arkansas score in grade 4 reading?

Public school students in Arkansas averaged 210 in fourth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 11th lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 215 in 2019 (national public: 214, 219 in 2019). 28% scored at or above Proficient and 44% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Arkansas score in grade 8 reading?

Public school students in Arkansas averaged 255 in eighth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 21st lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 259 in 2019 (national public: 257, 262 in 2019). 25% scored at or above Proficient and 35% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Arkansas score in grade 4 math?

Public school students in Arkansas averaged 230 in fourth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 4th lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 233 in 2019 (national public: 237, 240 in 2019). 31% scored at or above Proficient and 30% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Arkansas score in grade 8 math?

Public school students in Arkansas averaged 266 in eighth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 9th lowest among the 50 states and DC, down from 274 in 2019 (national public: 272, 281 in 2019). 20% scored at or above Proficient and 46% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How much does Arkansas spend per student?

Public school systems in Arkansas spent $13,873 per pupil on current operations in fiscal year 2024, 14th lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: $17,619), according to the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Is school spending per pupil in Arkansas going up?

Current spending per pupil in Arkansas rose from $10,388 in fiscal 2019 to $13,873 in fiscal 2024, up 33.5% before inflation (U.S.: up 33.6%); the change on fiscal 2023 was up 8.9%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What does Arkansas spend school money on?

Of the $13,873 spent per pupil in Arkansas in fiscal 2024, $7,547 went on instruction and $5,565 on support services; salaries and wages came to $7,487 per pupil and employee benefits $2,348.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Where does school funding in Arkansas come from?

Public school systems in Arkansas received $7.3 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024: 14.7% from the federal government, 69.3% from the state and 16.0% from local sources such as property taxes (U.S.: 11.6%, 45.2% and 43.2%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How much does Arkansas spend on public schools in total?

Total spending by public school systems in Arkansas was $7.5 billion in fiscal 2024, of which $6.4 billion was current spending and $953.85 million capital outlay on buildings and equipment; the systems owed $5.9 billion in debt at the end of the year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many students are in public schools in Arkansas?

484,978 pupils were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in Arkansas in fall 2023, down 2.4% on fall 2019 (496,927) and down 1.0% on fall 2013; nationally enrollment was down 2.5% since 2019.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the student-teacher ratio in Arkansas?

Public schools in Arkansas had 38,815 full-time-equivalent teachers in fall 2022, about 12.7 pupils per teacher, joint 11th fewest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 15.4; Arkansas in fall 2019: 12.9).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What percentage of people in Arkansas have a college degree?

27.1% of adults aged 25 and over in Arkansas, about 569,000 people, held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2024; 3rd lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 36.8%). That is up 1.8 percentage points on 2021 (25.3%), according to the American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Arkansas have a graduate degree?

In 2024, 10.0% of adults 25 and over in Arkansas had a graduate or professional degree and 8.8% an associate degree as their highest qualification (U.S.: 14.7% and 8.8%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many adults in Arkansas did not finish high school?

89.3% of adults 25 and over in Arkansas had at least a high school diploma or equivalent in 2024, leaving 10.7% without one; that share is 9th highest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 10.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How Arkansas compares with other states

Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR) (2021-22)

Arkansas ranks 15 of 49, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate; New Mexico and Oklahoma did not report for 2021-22

Rank	Region	Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR)
12	Mississippi	88.9%
13	Alabama	88.2%
14	Utah	88.2%
15	Arkansas	88.2%
16	Delaware	87.8%
17	Indiana	87.7%
18	New Hampshire	87.7%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students (2021-22)

Arkansas ranks 4 of 48, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate

Rank	Region	Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students
1	Mississippi	90.3%
2	Kentucky	88.4%
3	Texas	86.4%
4	Arkansas	85.4%
5	West Virginia	85.3%
6	Indiana	85.2%
7	California	84.6%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Arkansas ranks 41 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score
38	Texas	212
39	Missouri	212
40	Nebraska	212
41	Arkansas	210
42	Maine	210
43	Delaware	210
44	Michigan	209

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Arkansas ranks 35 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score
32	Michigan	255
33	Missouri	255
34	Oregon	255
35	Arkansas	255
36	Kansas	255
37	Maine	255
38	California	254

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Arkansas ranks 48 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score
45	Arizona	232
46	West Virginia	232
47	District of Columbia	231
48	Arkansas	230
49	Oregon	229
50	Alaska	226
51	New Mexico	224

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Arkansas ranks 43 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score
40	Oregon	268
41	Florida	267
42	Louisiana	267
43	Arkansas	266
44	Nevada	265
45	Oklahoma	264
46	Alaska	264

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (2024)

Arkansas ranks 46 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics
43	Louisiana	20.8%
44	Nevada	20.2%
45	District of Columbia	20.1%
46	Arkansas	19.8%
47	Delaware	19.3%
48	Alabama	18.4%
49	West Virginia	17.8%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading (2024)

Arkansas ranks 11 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading
8	Michigan	45.4%
9	Delaware	44.6%
10	Maine	44.5%
11	Arkansas	43.8%
12	California	43.7%
13	Texas	42.9%
14	Alabama	42.4%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Current spending per pupil, public schools (FY2024)

Arkansas ranks 38 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances

Rank	Region	Current spending per pupil, public schools
35	Kentucky	$14,596
36	Iowa	$14,369
37	Missouri	$14,241
38	Arkansas	$13,873
39	Montana	$13,656
40	Alabama	$13,627
41	Indiana	$13,622

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019 (FY2019-FY2024)

Arkansas ranks 21 of 51, highest first. Current dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Rank	Region	Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019
18	South Carolina	+35.2%
19	Alabama	+35.2%
20	Illinois	+34.2%
21	Arkansas	+33.5%
22	Maryland	+33.4%
23	New Jersey	+32.8%
24	Mississippi	+32.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Share of public school revenue from local sources (FY2024)

Arkansas ranks 49 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau

Rank	Region	Share of public school revenue from local sources
45	Alaska	23.8%
46	Idaho	20.9%
47	New Mexico	16.7%
48	Nevada	16.3%
49	Arkansas	16.0%
50	Vermont	2.6%
51	Hawaii	1.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Pupils per teacher, public schools (Fall 2022)

Arkansas ranks 40 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Pupils per teacher, public schools
37	Mississippi	13.0
38	Kansas	12.9
39	Missouri	12.8
40	Arkansas	12.7
41	Rhode Island	12.7
42	Wyoming	12.6
43	North Dakota	12.4

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023 (2019-2023)

Arkansas ranks 27 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023
24	Maryland	-2.1%
25	Connecticut	-2.1%
26	Pennsylvania	-2.3%
27	Arkansas	-2.4%
28	Minnesota	-2.6%
29	Virginia	-2.9%
30	Kansas	-2.9%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher (2024)

Arkansas ranks 49 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher
45	Oklahoma	29.3%
46	Nevada	28.5%
47	Kentucky	27.9%
48	Louisiana	27.8%
49	Arkansas	27.1%
50	Mississippi	27.0%
51	West Virginia	24.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent (2024)

Arkansas ranks 9 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent
6	Mississippi	12.0%
7	Louisiana	11.8%
8	Kentucky	11.0%
9	Arkansas	10.7%
10	Alabama	10.4%
11	Arizona	10.3%
12	Georgia	10.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

More on Arkansas: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · the United States

Sources

National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46: Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), by selected student characteristics and state, 2011-12 through 2021-22, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1913b92e5e75…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table-based summary file: Educational attainment for the population 25 years and over (B15003), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c933281d2c2…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2024, Table 203.20: Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by state, fall 1990 through fall 2023 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8e370b60d62a…)
U.S. Census Bureau: 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances: summary tables (Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, fiscal year 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 848133174f29…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 913ed194a3d5…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7dc207d5418d…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7da857933d83…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 790de8a24822…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 208.40: Public elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios, by state, fall 2000 through fall 2022 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c15568f58c4c…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.