Education
Imagination Libraries
Source: Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL)
Percent of Children Enrolled in Imagination Libraries
2025
Arkansas County59.3%
Ashley County65.4%
Baxter County60.4%
Benton County15.3%
Boone County66.2%
Bradley County77.8%
Calhoun County83.1%
Carroll County60.7%
Chicot County50.0%
Clark County75.9%
Clay County54.6%
Cleburne County68.0%
Cleveland County88.9%
Columbia County46.3%
Conway County55.2%
Craighead County34.5%
Crawford County45.6%
Crittenden County39.7%
Cross County40.8%
Dallas County53.3%
Desha County52.0%
Drew County80.6%
Faulkner County55.4%
Franklin County55.3%
Fulton County53.4%
Garland County69.9%
Grant County63.4%
Greene County45.4%
Hempstead County34.4%
Hot Spring County71.0%
Howard County55.6%
Independence County61.1%
Izard County69.9%
Jackson County44.9%
Jefferson County47.5%
Johnson County42.8%
Lafayette County86.0%
Lawrence County42.3%
Lee County20.8%
Lincoln County55.2%
Little River County60.8%
Logan County49.0%
Lonoke County41.5%
Madison County22.3%
Marion County59.3%
Miller County30.9%
Mississippi County40.7%
Monroe County45.3%
Montgomery County82.0%
Nevada County69.9%
Newton County102.2%
Ouachita County48.9%
Perry County61.4%
Phillips County38.7%
Pike County92.3%
Poinsett County53.3%
Polk County65.2%
Pope County43.4%
Prairie County77.2%
Pulaski County53.8%
Randolph County49.4%
Saline County43.3%
Scott County44.2%
Searcy County51.4%
Sebastian County43.0%
Sevier County72.4%
Sharp County77.8%
St. Francis County24.0%
Stone County59.6%
Union County69.7%
Van Buren County71.1%
Washington County17.4%
White County65.5%
Woodruff County46.3%
Yell County51.2%

Source: Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL)
Notes: Figures are children 0 to 5.




Enrollment in Imagination Libraries
2025
Arkansas County602
Ashley County746
Baxter County1,077
Benton County3,014
Boone County1,352
Bradley County487
Calhoun County143
Carroll County893
Chicot County301
Clark County811
Clay County439
Cleburne County733
Cleveland County264
Columbia County648
Conway County629
Craighead County2,613
Crawford County1,671
Crittenden County1,384
Cross County428
Dallas County168
Desha County384
Drew County808
Faulkner County4,109
Franklin County510
Fulton County311
Garland County3,673
Grant County612
Greene County1,326
Hempstead County444
Hot Spring County1,106
Howard County485
Independence County1,431
Izard County405
Jackson County378
Jefferson County1,840
Johnson County728
Lafayette County190
Lawrence County399
Lee County112
Lincoln County315
Little River County428
Logan County609
Lonoke County1,895
Madison County218
Marion County428
Miller County788
Mississippi County1,137
Monroe County186
Montgomery County324
Nevada County339
Newton County321
Ouachita County597
Perry County302
Phillips County424
Pike County505
Poinsett County767
Polk County674
Pope County1,671
Prairie County288
Pulaski County13,606
Randolph County594
Saline County3,047
Scott County223
Searcy County208
Sebastian County3,503
Sevier County827
Sharp County723
St. Francis County334
Stone County380
Union County1,594
Van Buren County506
Washington County2,786
White County2,879
Woodruff County170
Yell County640

Source: Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL)



STATE TREND

Increasing

45%
2025

What does this measure?

The share of children ages 0 to 5 enrolled in Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL), which provides books for children 0 to 5 across all 75 counties in Arkansas.

Why is this important?

By providing free, high-quality books directly to the home, the Imagination Library program seeks to increase childhood literacy rates, foster a love of books, and promote a culture of reading among families in Arkansas.

How is Arkansas doing?

In 2023, 42% of children ages 0 to 5, or nearly 78,000 children, were enrolled in Imagination Libraries statewide, representing a significant increase from 2018 when only 10% of children were enrolled.

Rates are uneven across racial and ethnic groups, with 4.7% of working-age Blacks enrolled in further education compared to 3.0% of whites and 2.2% of Hispanics. While the Black rate was the highest in 2019, it has also fallen the most since 2011 (decreasing nearly 4 percentage points).

Nearly half (45%) of Arkansas' 75 counties had more than half of its child population enrolled. Pike County had the highest enrollment rate at 98% followed by Montgomery and Marion counties at 85% and 82% respectively. Miller County had the smallest percentage of children enrolled at 13% followed by Hempstead at 19%.

Notes about the data

Data reflects enrollment as of August 1, 2023.




Source: Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL)


Percent of Children Enrolled in Imagination Libraries
20182019202020212022202320242025
Arkansas10.0%15.2%20.3%25.3%29.3%42.1%45.5%45.0%

Source: Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL)
Notes: Figures are children 0 to 5.






Education Indicators


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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
Health: Low Birth Weight Babies Not Applicable
Health: Early Prenatal Care Increasing
Health: Overweight or Obese Students Increasing
Health: Overweight or Obese Adults Increasing
Health: Physically Inactive Adults Maintaining
Health: Smoking Rate Decreasing
Health: Insurance Coverage Rates Increasing
Health: Oral Health Increasing
Health: Life Expectancy Decreasing
Health: Routine Check-ups Increasing
Health: Overdose Deaths Increasing
Families: Teen Births Decreasing
Families: Children Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: People Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: Elderly Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: Median Household Income Maintaining
Families: Unemployment Rate Decreasing
Families: Homeownership Rate Decreasing
Families: Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Families: Access to Financial Services Decreasing
Families: Food Insecurity Decreasing
Families: Food Deserts Not Applicable
Families: Homelessness Decreasing
Families: Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Families: Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Families: Households Below ALICE Threshold Not Applicable
Families: Overall Housing Cost Burden Decreasing
Families: Child Care Costs for Toddlers Not Applicable
Families: Medical Debt Not Applicable
Families: Households Receiving SNAP Decreasing
Families: Incarceration Rate Increasing
Community: Voter Participation Rate Decreasing
Community: Charitable Giving Increasing
Community: Volunteering Increasing
Community: Group Participation Increasing
Community: Connection to Neighbors Decreasing
Community: Local Voting Not Applicable
Demographics: Change in Population Increasing
Demographics: Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Demographics: Change in Population by Age Not Applicable
Equity: Remediation Rate Increasing
Equity: Adults with a High School Degree Increasing
Equity: Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Increasing
Equity: Adults Pursuing Further Education Decreasing
Equity: Low Birth Weight Babies Not Applicable
Equity: Early Prenatal Care Increasing
Equity: Overweight or Obese Students Increasing
Equity: Overweight or Obese Adults Increasing
Equity: Physically Inactive Adults Maintaining
Equity: Smoking Rate Decreasing
Equity: Insurance Coverage Rates Increasing
Equity: Oral Health Increasing
Equity: Life Expectancy Decreasing
Equity: Routine Check-ups Increasing
Equity: Teen Births Decreasing
Equity: Children Living in Poverty Maintaining
Equity: People Living in Poverty Maintaining
Equity: Elderly Living in Poverty Maintaining
Equity: Median Household Income Maintaining
Equity: Unemployment Rate Decreasing
Equity: Homeownership Rate Decreasing
Equity: Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Equity: Access to Financial Services Decreasing
Equity: Food Insecurity Decreasing
Equity: Homelessness Decreasing
Equity: Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Equity: Medical Debt Not Applicable
Equity: Households Receiving SNAP Decreasing
Equity: Incarceration Rate Increasing
Equity: Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable




Produced by Arkansas Community Foundation




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