Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) officially released its 2025-2026 district and school letter grades Thursday, with widespread improvements being shown across Craighead County.
According to state records, Brookland Public Schools secured an “A” rating for the school year, upgrading from a “B” grade from the 2024-2025 school year. Meanwhile, Jonesboro Public Schools earned a “B”, marking an improvement from the district’s “C” rating last school year.
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In total, six out of the eight public school districts in Craighead County achieved a “B” rating or higher. In the 2024-2025, only two got a “B” rating, while the rest got a “C”. Below are the 2025-2026 rankings in Craighead County along with the previous rankings from the 2024-2025 school year:
- Brookland School District: A (Previous grade: B)
- Valley View School District: B (Previous grade: B)
- Jonesboro Public Schools: B (Previous grade: C)
- Westside Consolidated School District: B (Previous grade: C)
- Bay School District: B (Previous grade: C)
- Buffalo Island Central School District: B (Previous grade: C)
- Riverside School District: C (Previous grade: C)
- Nettleton School District: D (Previous grade: C)
This year marks the second year that the ADE has assigned overall district letter grades to help communities focus on targeted school improvement. A news release stated that the grades are calculated using a redesigned accountability formula launched in 2023, which evaluates schools based on Achievement, Growth, and Readiness.
The ADE reported that 23 more districts earned an “A” or “B” this year compared to the previous cycle, while the number of districts receiving “D” or “F” grades dropped by 12. Below are the 2025-2026 rankings statewide:
| Letter Grade | Number of Districts | Percentage of Districts |
| A | 26 | 10.24% |
| B | 115 | 45.28% |
| C | 87 | 34.25% |
| D | 17 | 6.69% |
| F | 9 | 3.54% |
State officials attributed the academic gains to components of the LEARNS Act, which introduced state literacy coaches, individualized reading and math plans, and high-impact tutoring initiatives aimed at continuous school improvement.
“When we passed Arkansas LEARNS, we promised to raise the bar for our schools and give every child the opportunity for success,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “Three years later, the results continue to speak for themselves: test scores are up, and more school districts are improving than falling behind, building on the historic gains we saw in this year’s ATLAS scores. Arkansas teachers and schools are helping students achieve more, our schools are getting better—and LEARNS is working”.
Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva noted that the state has seen a notable decrease in schools receiving low ratings.
“Across Arkansas, schools and districts are making meaningful progress, with higher achievement, strong growth, and sustained improvement,” Oliva said. “These letter grades reflect the hard work of educators, students, and families, as well as the targeted supports provided through LEARNS. We will continue building on this momentum to ensure every student has access to the instruction, resources, and opportunities needed to succeed”.
Families can view detailed breakdowns of their local school and district letter grades by visiting myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Brookland and Valley View were the only two districts in Craighead County to receive an “A” ranking. While the Arkansas Department of Education’s official statewide aggregate data still counts Valley View as an “A,” an examination of the individual school rankings within the state’s own data confirms the accurate district rating for Valley View is a “B.”
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