Best Public Schools in Zip Code 72901

Summary:

The 72901 zip code area of Fort Smith, Arkansas is home to 9 schools, including 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school. While some schools in this area, such as Ramsey Middle School and Fairview Elementary, consistently perform well and exceed district and state averages, others like Tilles Elementary and Belle Point Alternative Center struggle significantly, with proficiency rates well below the norm.

The schools in this area face significant challenges, with high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67% to 92%. This indicates a high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations. Per-student spending varies widely, from around $10,000 to $13,000, with the alternative school spending significantly more at over $33,000 per student. Student-teacher ratios also range from 12:1 to 20:3, with the alternative school having the lowest ratio.

Overall, the data highlights both areas of strength and significant challenges within the Fort Smith School District. Addressing the disparities in performance and supporting the needs of high-poverty schools will be crucial for improving educational outcomes for all students in the 72901 area.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2024)									ATLAS Reading (2024)									ATLAS Mathematics (2024)							ATLAS Algebra (2024)			ATLAS Geometry (2024)						ATLAS Science (2024)							ATLAS Biology (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 9th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 10th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading 6th Grade	ATLAS Reading 7th Grade	ATLAS Reading 8th Grade	ATLAS Reading 9th Grade	ATLAS Reading 10th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 6th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 7th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 8th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Algebra 8th Grade	ATLAS Algebra 9th Grade	ATLAS Algebra All Grades	ATLAS Geometry 8th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 9th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 10th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 11th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 12th Grade	ATLAS Geometry All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science 7th Grade	ATLAS Science 8th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	ATLAS Biology 9th Grade	ATLAS Biology 10th Grade	ATLAS Biology 11th Grade	ATLAS Biology 12th Grade	ATLAS Biology All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ballman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2601 South Q St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-1280	284	17	17.1	69.0%	137 (48.2%)	22 (7.7%)	64 (22.5%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (19.4%)	61.2	200^th of 497 public elementary schools	59.8%		63.1	185^th of 492 public elementary schools	62.4%	15	41.7	35.5	39.7						39.0	42.9	31.1	41.5						38.8	36.7	33.3	47.1				39.5										34.7	40.0	41.5				38.7						$11,103	$2,342	$8,761
Belle Point Alternative Center	Public	6-12	1501 Dodson Ave	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-7034	73	15	4.7	75.3%	27 (37.0%)	17 (23.3%)	16 (21.9%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	10 (13.7%)	8.7	299^th of 305 public high schools	2.0%		4.6	288^th of 295 public high schools	2.4%	11						0.0	8.3	0.0	1.9						0.0	8.3	0.0	1.9							0.0		8.3	7.7			0.0			0.0						0.0	0.0		0.0			0.0	$33,269	$12,350	$20,919
Carnall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2524 S Tulsa St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 646-3612	203	13	15.2	82.3%	86 (42.4%)	23 (11.3%)	52 (25.6%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (18.7%)	15.7	439^th of 497 public elementary schools	11.7%		19.6	412^th of 492 public elementary schools	16.3%	27	20.0	13.7	11.1						14.8	28.0	24.1	11.1						21.0	8.0	20.6	11.1				13.6										28.0	17.2	11.1				18.5						$13,316	$4,641	$8,675
William O. Darby Middle School	Public	6-8	616 N 14th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-4159	720	50	14.4	85.6%	212 (29.4%)	72 (10.0%)	359 (49.9%)	13 (1.8%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (7.9%)	31.1	242^nd of 335 public middle schools	27.8%		23	275^th of 330 public middle schools	16.7%	33				24.6	27.5	20.6			24.3				25.5	28.5	22.2			25.4				29.0	27.9	8.0	22.9	42.2		43.0										26.3	26.1	20.2	24.2						$12,760	$2,373	$10,387
Fairview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 S Dallas	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-3214	491	27	18.4	78.4%	221 (45.0%)	33 (6.7%)	147 (29.9%)	7 (1.4%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (15.9%)	52.7	237^th of 497 public elementary schools	52.3%		56.9	223^rd of 492 public elementary schools	54.7%	14	31.6	40.2	44.4						39.0	30.2	42.7	41.9						38.5	32.9	40.9	19.7				31.3										30.3	38.5	29.6				33.0						$10,004	$1,894	$8,110
Howard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 N 8th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-7382	253	15	17.4	91.3%	35 (13.8%)	32 (12.6%)	153 (60.5%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.9%)	32.7	362^nd of 497 public elementary schools	27.2%		29.9	370^th of 492 public elementary schools	24.8%	8	17.6	39.0	14.8						25.5	17.7	41.5	25.9						29.4	35.3	36.6	14.8				30.4										14.7	26.9	11.1				18.6						$10,208	$2,207	$8,002
Northside High School	Public	9-12	2301 North B St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-1171	2,253	186	12.1	75.3%	473 (21.0%)	313 (13.9%)	1,201 (53.3%)	101 (4.5%)	12 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	151 (6.7%)	30.8	231^st of 305 public high schools	24.3%		25.6	240^th of 295 public high schools	18.6%	9							22.7	21.4	22.0							24.0	21.8	22.9									9.7	9.8		32.6	5.6	10.6	0.0	11.9								61.9	17.6	14.3	50.0	26.1	$11,279	$1,911	$9,368
Ramsey Middle School	Public	6-8	3201 Jenny Lind Rd	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-5115	808	54	14.9	66.7%	404 (50.0%)	87 (10.8%)	152 (18.8%)	34 (4.2%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	119 (14.7%)	59.6	107^th of 335 public middle schools	68.1%		65.1	108^th of 330 public middle schools	67.3%	1				36.8	31.1	36.0			34.5				38.1	32.8	35.3			35.3				37.7	38.7	28.1	35.5	51.3		51.3	100.0					100.0				32.8	37.1	42.4	37.5						$10,610	$1,885	$8,724
Tilles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	815 N 16th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 785-5606	341	19	17.8	89.1%	107 (31.4%)	32 (9.4%)	163 (47.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.6%)	8.8	475^th of 497 public elementary schools	4.4%		15	430^th of 492 public elementary schools	12.6%	45	12.8	12.7	14.5						13.4	14.9	12.7	16.3						14.7	14.9	7.3	10.9				10.8										17.0	9.1	9.1				11.4						$11,354	$3,354	$8,000

Cities Near Zip Code 72901

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Fort Smith	0.49 mi	31	161^st
Barling	6.3 mi	1	139^th
Van Buren	6.34 mi	11	103^rd
Hackett	12.32 mi	2	160^th
Greenwood	12.34 mi	5	4^th

See the top AR Arkansas cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.