Overall performance on state exams, as well as racial and ethnic disparities, are educational concerns in Arkansas, while high school graduation rates and adult education levels have been improving.
The foundation for a child's education is built early in life with nurturing and enriching interactions with parents and other caregivers. One measure of this is the availability of quality early child care and preschool. Arkansas has the capacity to serve 51% of preschoolers in quality, public programs, and 29% of infants and toddlers. Arkansas’ Imagination Library program, which provides books for children ages 0 to 5, successfully enrolled 45% of children statewide by 2025, a significant increase from 10% in 2018.
Once children enter school, performance on exams is a measure of learning. Passing rates on key state exams in 2025 saw 36% of 3rd graders proficient in reading and 32% of 8th graders proficient in math. This means less than half of students are meeting the state’s new expectations, set in 2024 with the adoption of the ATLAS exams.
Females slightly outperformed males by 4 points in reading and were about on par in math. Economically disadvantaged students and racial minorities had the lowest passing rates.
High school graduation rates have risen 2 percentage points from 2014, with 89% of the Class of 2024 graduating on time. Performance was also more even across groups, with all groups posting graduation rates of at least 80%. Since 2014, growth has been strongest among Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students (up 7 and 6 points respectively) and Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students (all up 4 points).
However, entering college students show signs of not being fully prepared. In 2023, 41% of first-year students were enrolled in a remedial course, and female students (25%) were more likely to be enrolled in remediation than male students (16%).
Adult education levels are rising, with 89% of Arkansans 25 and older holding at least a high school degree, up 2 percentage points from 2015-19 and up 5 percentage points from 2010-14. Those possessing a bachelor’s or higher degree (26%) increased 3 percentage points from 2015-19 and up 5 points from 2010-14. However, Arkansas lags the nation on these measures: 43nd for high school diploma and 49th for a bachelor’s degree.
The share of adults having at least a high school diploma were higher among White (91%), Black or African American (87%), and Asian adults (86%), than Hispanic (65%) adults and there were disparities among those with at least a bachelor’s: 50% for Asian adults compared to 28% of White, 18% of African American, and 14% of Hispanic adults.
In 2024, 3.4% of Arkansas' working-age adults were enrolled in further education, down from 5.1% in 2012 (a decrease of roughly 26,600 adults in terms of enrollment).
| INDICATORS | TREND | STATE |
|---|---|
| Education: Access to Quality Slots for Infants and Toddlers | Increasing |
| Education: Access to Quality Child Care Slots for Preschoolers | Increasing |
| Education: Grade 3 Reading | Maintaining |
| Education: Grade 8 Math | Increasing |
| Education: Graduation Rate | Increasing |
| Education: Remediation Rate | Increasing |
| Education: Adults with a High School Degree | Increasing |
| Education: Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher | Increasing |
| Education: Adults Pursuing Further Education | Decreasing |
| Education: Imagination Libraries | Increasing |
