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Middle School: A Data Driven Decision

In advance of tomorrow night’s Little Rock School District Board Agenda Meeting (Thursday, 3.14, 5:00 pm), where facilities will be discussed, here are the legally required, state reported data on the performance and gains of Little Rock’s Middle Schools.

The Arkansas Department of Education’s NORMES site was created by the University of Arkansas to provide and compare performance and gains data of the state, counties, districts and schools. The site provides four years of data, including the latest 2012 ESEA Accountability Reports.

SB752 passed the Senate today, which would require the Arkansas Department of Education to apply A through F letter grades to each school and district. Until that passes the House and gets signed by the Governor, we are left to make sense of the current system, which includes all traditional and open enrollment charter public schools in Arkansas:

  • Exemplary (5 Total Schools)
  • Achieving (341 Total Schools)
  • Needs Improvement (587 Total Schools)
  • Needs Improvement: Focus (120 Total Schools)
  • Needs Improvement: Priority (48 Total Schools)

Here are how Little Rock School District Middle Schools fared in 2012. Click for the full reports.

Exemplary

None

Achieving

None

Needs Improvement

Forest Heights

Mabelvale

Mann Magnet

Needs Improvement: Focus (Lowest Performing 168 Public Schools in Arkansas)

Dunbar Magnet

Pulaski Heights (Met Year 1 Exit Criteria)

Needs Improvement: Priority (Lowest Performing 48 Public Schools in Arkansas)

Henderson (Met Year 1 Exit Criteria)

Cloverdale Aerospace Tech Conversion Charter (District Controlled)

Four of seven Little Rock School District Middle Schools are among the lowest performing 168 (bottom 15%) of the over 1,080 public schools in Arkansas. 

These data are in direct contrast to the continued anecdotal information provided by the Little Rock School District and its representatives regarding its middle schools, the latest of which comes from Zone 4’s Greg Adams (see attachment), entitled Mid-Year Middle School Thoughts (from one member of the LRSD board).

In answer to the district’s repeated talking point, “safe and secure learning environments” when describing its middle schools, we have collected the raw data from the Little Rock Police Department and hope to post a comprehensive, data-driven report on the reality of middle school safety in advance of tomorrow’s meeting.

Meanwhile, we do have anecdotal (and sourced) information of our own. In the fall, a member of the board suggested that they don’t know why parents are leaving the district at the middle school transition. So, we did what they could/should have done, and surveyed parents. With 88 and counting respondents, here are the results of the…

Little Rock School District Middle School Survey

Are you a parent/guardian of a Little Rock School District elementary school student(s)?

  • A. Yes (83 out of 88)
  • B. No (5 out of 88)

 If yes, how many?

  • A. One (1) (32 out of 88)
  • B. Two (2) (43 out of 88)
  • C. Three (3) (8 out of 88)
  • D. Four (4) (1 out of 88)
  • E. More than Four (4) (0 out of 88)
  • F. Not applicable (5 out of 88)

If no, are you a parent/guardian of an elementary school age student(s) residing in the Little Rock School District but not attending a Little Rock School District school?

  • A. Yes (4 out of 88)
  • B. No (22 out of 88)
  • C. Not applicable (73 out of 88)

If yes, how many?

  • A. One (1) (0 out of 88)
  • B. Two (2) (6 out of 88)
  • C. Three (3) (2 out of 88)
  • D. Four (4) (0 out of 88)
  • E. More than Four (0 out of 88)
  • F. Not applicable (80 out of 88)

What elementary school(s) does/do your child/children currently attend?

View Fill-in-the-Blank Responses in Attachment Below
(88 responses submitted)

  • Chenal
  • Chenal Elementary – we are PCSSD but would love to transfer to a new middle charter school since we are zoned for Robinson Middle
  • Chenal Elementary of the Pulaski County School District
  • Don R. Roberts Elementary
  • Don R. Roberts Elementary
  • Don Robert’s Elementary
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts
  • Don Roberts Elem.
  • don roberts elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts Elementary
  • Don Roberts elementary school
  • Don Roberts Elementary School
  • Don Roberts Elementary. My youngest will start there this fall.
  • Don Roberts/ 3 children
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright
  • Fulbright Elementary
  • FULBRIGHT ELEMENTARY
  • Fulbright Elementary
  • fullbright
  • I have 2 children at Fulbright Elementary. We are hoping our 4 year old will be accepted into Fulbright’s PREK program next Fall. That would allow us 2 years for all 3 children to attend the same school.
  • Jefferson
  • Jefferson
  • Jefferson Elementary
  • N/A
  • Private
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts
  • Roberts elem
  • Roberts Elem
  • Roberts Elem
  • roberts elemantary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • Roberts Elementary
  • We have one child at Don R. Roberts and one child at a Public Charter – LISA Academy who was at Roberts. Both were at Terry previously.
  • Will be attending Fulbright in 2013-2014.

For what Little Rock School District Middle School are you zoned?

  • A. Cloverdale (0 out of 88)
  • B. Dunbar (0 out of 88)
  • C. Forest Heights (59 out of 88)
  • D. Henderson (9 out of 88)
  • E. Mabelvale (0 out of 88)
  • F. Mann (0 out of 73)
  • G. Pulaski Heights (4 out of 88)
  • H. Don’t Know (11 out of 88)
  • I. Not applicable (5 out of 88)

Do you plan to send your children to a Little Rock School District middle school?

  • A. Yes (6 out of 88)
  • B. No (62 out of 88)
  • C. Don’t Know (20 out of 88)

If yes, which one?

  • A. Cloverdale (0 out of 88)
  • B. Dunbar (1 out of 88)
  • C. Forest Heights (1 out of 88)
  • D. Henderson (0 out of 88)
  • E. Mabelvale (0 out of 88)
  • F. Mann (0 out of 88)
  • G. Pulaski Heights (4 out of 88)
  • H. Don’t Know (18 out of 88)
  • I. Not Applicable (64 out of 88)

If no, where will your student(s) go to middle school?

  • A. Public Charter School (8 out of 88)
  • B. Private School (38 out of 88)
  • C. Another Public District (4 out of 88)
  • D. Home School (2 out of 88)
  • E. Don’t Know (29 out of 88)
  • F. Not applicable (7 out of 88)

If another district, will you move?

  • A. Yes (7 out of 88)
  • B. No (23 out of 88)
  • C. Not applicable (58 out of 88)

If yes, where?

View Fill-in-the-Blank Responses in Attachment Below
(88 responses submitted)

  • N/A
  • Not applicable
  • N/A
  • not applicable
  • N/A
  • A choice has not been made.
  • Not sure
  • we’re not moving for middle school. Ridiculous that someone would have to do so for a decent education.
  • not applicable
  • It’s possible. Bryant, Conway, Maumelle or Northwest AR
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • N/a
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/a
  • n/a
  • Benton? Heard they have a good school.
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • Private
  • N/A
  • Na
  • Not sure what survey tool this is, but I should not have to fill in this field if I didn’t select Yes above.
  • We will not move. We will consider private schools and charter schools.
  • Not applicable
  • We may/may not move districts, but we will not send either our current middle-school-aged child, nor our now elementary-aged child to our zoned middle school. We will either attempt to attend certain magnet schools (not all of the LRSD magnet schools are what they used to be) or go the charter or private route.
  • N/A
  • Pulaski Academy
  • na
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • Not applicable
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • N/a
  • N/A
  • N/a
  • Cabot
  • I would like to move to Bryant for its better middle school
  • Unsure at this time
  • not applicable
  • Not applicable
  • Probably a religous private school
  • N/A
  • NA
  • Not applicable
  • Joe T Robinson
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • n/a
  • NA
  • Our 6th grader attends The Anthony School and our LRSD 4th grader will as well unless we are provided other options.
  • na
  • Still considering options
  • wherever we need to in order to get a decent public education – cannot afford private
  • N/A
  • not applicable
  • Conway or Cabot
  • Not applicable
  • We would have to consider the possibility.
  • N/A
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • Not Moving
  • not sure yet
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • Moving is not an option. We will remain in LR, where our child goes to school – we don’t know.
  • n/a
  • Don’t know. We have considered moving near the Benton/Bauxite/Bryant area.
  • Not applicable
  • NA
  • Northwest Arkansas
  • Maybe Hot Springs to attend Lakeside
  • to hillcrst or the heights
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • not moving
  • Na
  • Na
  • Na
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • Not applicable

If you plan to leave the Little Rock School District, please share why.View Fill-in-the-Blank Responses in Attachment Below

(88 responses submitted)

  • Not planning to leave.
  • We have considered Bryant because of the school system there, but we are not willing to relocate to Bryant. So we will remain in the LR school district.
  • N/A
  • I have twins in 8th grade and my youngest is at Fulbright in 3rd grade. When we looked at middle schools 4 years ago, they really did not seem up to par, academically, and it was too far from our pleasant valley neighborhood so weighing academic excellence and convenience, we opted to put them in private school. We plan on doing the same for our youngest since neither factor has changed.
  • N/A
  • The middle school situation lacks choices for parents -safe choices- my sixth grader is NOT ready for the zoned school Forest Heights. It’s bad enough to transition a 11 yr old to middle school but Forest Heights is an irresponsible mess that has not been cleaned up by the LRSD. I’m ashamed of Little Rock for the lack of options other than spending $12K plus for private school which is UNREACHABLE to some. I want my child to have a great start in a safe school.
  • Do not know what to do? May go private because the there is no middle school in west little rock. And do not want my child to go to Forest Heights.
  • as a tax payer of Little Rock, it’s quite clear there’s a need west of the interstate. Roberts is at capacity, as is Fulbright, and if there were an alternative that met tax payer’s needs in our area of town, we would send our children there. It seems the request for a middle school in west little rock is falling on deaf ears. The school we are zoned for, is not safe and things need to change. We love public school and the experience it provides, but how can the board not realize that a middle school is needed, when there are 3 or 4 elementary schools that could be feeders? I’m confused and disappointed. We should not have to pay out of pocket for a private school with the taxes we pay. Our taxes are benefitting those in another area of town.
  • I am not happy with the current LRSD choices when it comes to middle school. We need to improve our options in the west part of the city. I would prefer a public education.
  • middle school and high school zone options are not acceptable due to low academic achievement for the schools and the extremely high rate of disciplinary incidents
  • I plan on leaving the LRSD after my child finishes elementary school because there are no good secondary options in my opinion.
  • I felt that forest heights would not be able to provide the academic quality that I was looking for my children.
  • N/a
  • All parents want and have the right to expect quality, performance, safety, available resources and programs that meet students’ needs; and yes, even proximity in public education. There are many factors parents take into account when choosing a school. 
  • I was stunned when we moved to Little Rock (2009) and found out the state of the public school system, specifically the LRSD, where we would enroll our child. Our zoned elementary school at the time, Fulbright, was far over capacity and equipped with temporary trailer out buildings. There were no secondary schools in our neighborhood; our zoned middle school and the high school both had a reputation of poor academic performance and safety issues; and, neither are located in a section of town I consider the community we live in. I was appalled that it was an accepted given that we would need to leave the public schools at middle school to embark on a private school path. My husband and I have always been strong supporters of traditional public schools; his mother was a public high school English teacher for 28 years, and his grandfather was a teacher and school district superintendent, both here in Arkansas. As parents, we have always taken active roles beyond the classroom and well into our child’s school community, volunteerism being a cornerstone. To say we were displeased would be an understatement. Roberts Elementary for us was a godsend; but that school is now over capacity only three years after opening and our child is moving on to the 6th grade.
  • There simply must be quality public secondary schools available in the community; both middle and high school facilities should be serving this community. My own high achieving LRSD student will not be returning to the LRSD this Fall as he enters the 6th grade, in large part because there is no school in our community and in part, because what is offered is dismal and unacceptable academically compared to our expectations for our child. We are devastated not to continue in the fold of public education. We are incensed at bearing the burden of financial hardship by paying tuition — in addition to our property taxes – due to the lack of a nearby community public secondary school. My 10-year-old child faces the harsh reality that his peer circle is being torn apart, because all are attending different middle schools this August, instead of tracking together into a community-based school. Shame on the LRSD, they have wasted decades of time, money and priorities at the expense of this District’s children.
  • N/A
  • The middle school in our zone is a lengthy commute, has poor academic record, and an unsafe track record. LRSD has a moral obligation to provide an education to our children in WLR. Roberts Elementary is proof that building a WLR middle and high school will improve the academic standing of the entire district.
  • n/a
  • We don’t have a great middle and high schools in West Little Rock.
  • We are unsure of where to send our child. We may stay in LR and we may move out of the district. Our current zoning will not work for several reasons: 1) the test scores and 2) the school is not near our home/work.
  • N/A
  • The middle school we are zoned for is a failing school, it is not even an option.
  • Have heard no good things about LRSD Middle Schools & don’t have a school nearby.
  • For better opportunities in education by choosing a public charter school.
  • Not sure what survey tool this is, but I should not have to fill in this field if I didn’t select No above.
  • The West Little Rock area continues to be underserved by the Little Rock School District. Plans to accommodate the increasing number of children and families in need of school options in our immediate area continue to fail to come to fruition. The Little Rock School District has not regarded the growth in our area as a priority and has not moved forward in a timely manner to provide our children with a middle school option west of 430. Additionally, we have been forced into the unfortunate circumstance of having to place our pre-k aged daughter in a school away from her siblings and far from our neighborhood.
  • I want my daughter to be surrouded by students who are engaged in learning & who have similar educational goals as our family.
  • Current middle school options are too far away (both zoned and not zoned) and/or are not performing academically
  • We would like to keep our 5th grader in LRSD schools. It would give our daughter a lot of continuity in her education. The LRSD offers a lot of cultural diversity which is important to us because of the diversity in her family. She loves EAST. She is academically a high performer and constantly performs in the 99th percentile on the Benchmark. We are zoned for Henderson which performs in the bottom 3% of the state for middle schools. None of her neighborhood friends will be going to school there. Most of her friends will be going to a private school, home school, charter school or have applied for M to M and T and T transfers. She did not get into Mann science. She did get in to a charter school and a private school. We are undecided right now. LRSD needs community schools in West Little Rock. LRSD needs community involvement in the all the schools but particularly lower performing schools that are located in higher poverty areas. There is little communication between the school board, parents, community leaders, and superintendent.
  • There are no decent pubic middle schools in Little Rock.
  • No good middle school options
  • No viable LRSD middle school option for my zone.
  • I am writing as a parent, one who has been very active with the PTA for 9 years. We are dissatisfied for almost every reason that the district has already been informed are problems with our middle schools, including the fact that I have no LRSD secondary schools anywhere near where I live off Hwy. 10. I already have a son in 8th grade now who went K – 5 (6 years) at Fulbright. When we were declined acceptance to PH twice (despite our appeal and acknowledgement that we would leave the district), we moved him to a private school. There, we are thrilled with the staff, curriculum, smaller classroom sizes, faculty/staff/student interactions (they all know who the kids are), rankings, location, safety, extracurriculars and most everything else about the school. Our only frustration is that we pay thousands of dollars in taxes to pay for inadequate middle schools, have people use stereotypes and generalizations to tell us we are wrong and underserving because of WHERE in LR we live, then we have to pay private school tuition to make sure our children get the best and safest education possible. 
  • We are thrilled with Don Roberts. If there were similar middle and upper schools in its general area to serve our WLR students, I might be saving that tuition money and driving something other than a 2002 vehicle. As it stands the way things are, I’ll just be happy driving my 2002 vehicle as my kids hop out of it at our private school of choice.
  • I do not feel comfortable with the education or safety provided by our current middle school. I also do not think that we should have to travel to attend a public school. If a middle school and high school were to be built in the west little rock area,we would most likely send our children there. I have one child in elementary and one child that will be starting pre k next year.
  • safety concerns
  • n/a
  • From 6th grade on, the Little Rock School District is not equipped to provide the best learning environment for our children, at this time. We will reconsider our decision to leave the district if there were middle school facilities in West Little Rock. However, at this time, there are no such facilities. We are also considering the charter school option. Thank you.
  • N/a
  • N/A
  • My children will attend private school over the option of attending LRSD. There is no option that is acceptable in the LRSD as far as middles school goes.
  • I hope we don’t have to leave the Little Rock School District. We have a fourth grade son and a second grade daughter. We currently plan to look at all of our options and hope to find a good fit for our children in the Little Rock District. Since I am a high school counselor in another district, I understand that low test scores at a school do not mean that the school is not good. At the same time, I also understand that the social climate in a school must be positive for parents to be willing to send their children. I do hope that we can get enough people in the community to consider Forrest Heights as a good choice. As a parent, we will look at several schools before making our final decision, but I do hope Forrest Heights or Mann Magnet will be a good fit for our son.
  • It is long commuting.
  • I would like to stay in the Little Rock School District for middle school but feel there needs to be a new school built closer to the West Little Rock side of town.
  • Because our option for a middle school is Forest Heights. Apparently, it’s a wreck over there.
  • Not applicable
  • If there is a suitable school in my area of town (west of 430) then I would GLADLY send my children to a LRSD middle school. I will not however spend 40 minutes in my car every day driving back and forth to midtown for school.
  • N/A
  • NA
  • we are planning on sending our son to Lisa Acadamy. he was not accepted to horace mann or dunbar magnet. i think its strange that there was no information about either on the lrsd letter we received stating his school of record is pulaski heights. We’ve decided again pulaski heights based on pulaski heights police record , my son’s (and his friend’s) shadow day, and several actual lrsd teachers telling me not to send my son there.
  • Henderson Middle school is not safe and has a terrible academic record. Little Rock teachers say they wouldn’t dare send their kids to this school!
  • why should my child have to go to school across town for middle school? I would rather pay to keep them closer to home and with their friends that they have gone to school with since prek. 
  • N/A
  • n/a
  • The current middle school options fail to meet our needs in location (over 7 miles away and 20-25 minutes in the morning), fail in regard to quality and performance and are not acceptable as far as safety for our children. The fall-off in quality from our experience at Roberts means that private school for middle school is our only true option despite the financial hardship that this will cause us (having 4 children).
  • My children attend(ed) LRSD public schools K-5. We are very pleased with our public education experience at Don Roberts Elementary and Fulbright Elementary. We toured Forest Heights Middle School, but ruled it out based on the school’s sub-standard ranking for student achievement. It’s hard to fathom moving your child from one of the state’s top-ranked schools to one of the lowest in the transition from 5th to 6th grades. My husband and I were both raised in public school (LRSD and in rural Arkansas) and believe that quality public education should be available for ALL students. We feel our school district has failed to deliver a viable, quality option for our children. Paying for private education is not ideal and definitely a stretch for our family financially, but we feel it is necessary at this point because we are left without quality options in this area of the city. I realize some may think we’re “abandoning” the LRSD, but I believe the LRSD abandoned West Little Rock when it comes to middle and high school options.
  • The school we are zoned for is to far away. It is a very poor performing school. The teachers that teach there have told me that they wouldn’t send there own children there. There is too much crime. It is not a part of the community I live in.
  • We are concerned about the lack of a neighborhood middle/high school. The distance from our home to our zoned middle school/high schools, out of our neighborhood community, is a negative factor. It is a concern for our children to ride a bus for that amount of time/distance every day. Safety issues are also a factor.
  • n/a
  • We have been blessed to attend an excellent elementary school with wonderful staff, test scores and a positive learning environment. However, the current middle school situation does not provide those attributes and we will look for a middle school that does. Until the LRSD takes these concerns seriously and follows through with action, then our children will be attending private school from middle school on.
  • I do not feel that Forest Heights is what I am looking for for my children. The distance from my house is a major factor, as well as safety concerns and concerns that the current student body would not be a fit for her.
  • My children’s education is extremely important to me. I work with them daily. My daughter is in the top reading class at her school, and her teachers tell me that she is advanced. I have worked too hard for her to loose ground in Middle School. We would love for her to remain in LR public schools, but we would rather move of pay for private school then have her future affected.
  • There’s not an acceptable middle school due to safety issues and location. I do not think we will be able to afford private without me going back to work but I’m not comfortable with our current options.
  • There are no middle/high schools in our zone, causing us to have to bus 2 hrs daily across town, and middle/high school performances in the LR district are not providing a safe (see police reports), quality brand of education. Little Rock lets politics, money, race, and fear prevent the economic and educational growth of our community. It is time we catch up.
  • The LRSD currently does not have quality Middle School choices that I feel comfortable sending my children to during this critical time of social and academic development in their lives. Also, I’m not aware of any plans that the LRSD has for expanding and adding a much needed public MS west of I-430. The immediate success of Roberts Elementary should be going off like a loud alarm to let LRSD know that a new MS in WLR would be embraced by the community, keeping families & tax dollars in the district, making to overall district better, sustainable, & attractive.
  • No viable, high performing public middle school that we are zoned for. No viable public school option available – academically or geographically.
  • Though we are pleased thus far with the LRSD, we plan to pull our children out of the District after elementary due to the lack of a nearby, quality middle school.
  • There are no Middle Schools in my area that I consider to be safe. I also don’t feel my child we be challenged at the current middle schools.
  • Little Rock school district does not have good middle schools.
  • There are not enough middle schools to support the volume of elementary children that currently exsist in west Little Rock. Don Roberts was built with the purpose to balance the attendence at Fulbright. How is Forrest Heights supposed support all the children moving up from both of those elementary schools? Junior high builds some critical skills required for a successful transition into high school and college that cannot be risked by an over crowded junior high. Little Rock has grown, and unfortunately only private schools have been able to supply the demand for quality education for grades 6-12. It is unfortunate that the public schools have not choosen to keep up.
  • n/a
  • After elementary school and along with a large number of West Little Rock residents, I will reluctantly send my child to a private school rather than the assigned public middle school. 
  • We have a variety of private options from which to choose. Many of which are much closer to our homes than the public option.
  • If we leave LRSD, it would probably because we elect to send our child to private school – something we would prefer NOT to do. As tax payers and alumni of public schools, it would be our preference to stay. in the LRSD. Unfortunately, the secondary schools are not good in our area.
  • Henderson Middle School has a rating of 2 out of 10 by Great Schools, test scores are low and my child who is Caucasion would be a minority as over half of the students are black.
  • We have only lived here 2 1/2 years and have heard that the public middle schools in LRSD are not good. Not good in terms of quality education, not good in terms of behavioral issues (bullying, etc.). We sought out a good elementary school when we moved here and incorrectly assumed that the middle school would be as good. We have heard good things about some of the high schools. My son played soccer with a teammate that has a parent working at Henderson and she confirmed what I had heard. If we can’t find a good option (eStem, LISA or ??) or afford private school then I guess we will home school.
  • Academic standards are below my expectations. I will want my child to succeed and participate not only in academic classes, but social and extra-curricular activities. I have seen first hand the lack of discipline in the middle schools. I want my child to have every chance to succeed.
  • We will not be sending our children to a Little Rock School District Middle School. I have heard nothing but bad experiences from parents who have sent their children to these schools.
  • We are raising our granddaughter and as retirees we can’t afford private school. Without a decent middle school option we will have to consider a move to find a better educational opportunity for her.
  • The lack of parental involvement in our zoned middle school, which would expose my children to the consequence of that, including assaults and drugs to our zoned Middle school. I want my children to attend a safe school without a high number of reported police incidents. We would NOT move if LRSD built a new middle school in West Little Rock, where parental involvement is high, as it is at Roberts Elementary.
  • I do not see my child having a peer group at the schools that they would be able to attend. I am worried for their safety. Forrest Heights has 114 or so calls to the LR police last year and the test scores at that school do not ensure that my child would get an adequate education.
  • I am a proponent of Public Schools. I have guardianship of my (9) year old nephew, whom is currently in the 4th grade. We are zoned for Forest Heights. I think it is sad that due to the reputation of the school, concerned parents with children who want to learn will not send their children there. Therefore, the majority of students there are children that don’t have parental support and no desire to learn. If I send my child there, will he be able to get a good education? The really sad thing is that this is the case for most of the LRSD middle schools. I’m not sure what the solution is, but we must find one soon.
  • There is no adequate Middle School near my home.
  • The middle school we are zoned for is not an acceptable choice for our student.
  • We do not feel LRSD middle schools are safe or in a good location! We have toured forest heights and didnt feel it was safe enough to send our children everyday!
  • I have 3 children, all 3 went to LRSD for Elementary, but once they reach middle school, we feel the need to take them out of LRSD and put them in private school due to the lack of middle schools that we feel are safe! We toured our zoned middle school (forest heights) and did not feel it was a safe environment for our kids, so we opted to pay private school tuition to keep them in a safe environment and a good education!
  • I currently have a 2nd grader at Don Roberts and once she goes to middle school we will be putting her in private school unless there is a better option available at that time!
  • Middle is too far and unsafe.
  • I think your survey should also address whether there is a middle school student in the household. Our current sixth grader attended Roberts but now attends a public charter school, because we were not satisfied with the choices given by LRSD. Our oldest, now a sophomore at UofA, attended Williams, Dunbar and Central, and we were very happy with those choices at that time. Since then, we have lost trust and faith in the school board’s ability to get a handle on the problems in our district.
  • The middle schools are terrible! How do they expect us as parents to send our children to a failing, dangerous school? It’s NOT going to happen! Also, the distance from my house to the school is an issue. According to Mapquest, it takes 15 min to get there. I drive my children to school so for me, that is 30 min in the morning and 30 in the afternoon, a total of 1hr each day to take my children to an awful, awful, awful school. No way! I would rather work 2 jobs to pay for private school then send my children to any of the public middle/high schools. We need a high school for zones 4 & 5 while we are at it! Build it, they will come! Please!
  • No option for excellence.

If you plan to stay in the Little Rock School District, please share why.View Fill-in-the-Blank Responses in Attachment Below

(88 responses submitted)

  • I feel the LRSD provides a great opportunites and along with our parental invovlement in our children’s education, our children will get a great education. After all, I am a product of the LRSD and most people say I didn’t turn out that bad!
  • Pulaski Heights has a good reputation. Most of the middle school age children in my neighborhood attend PHMS.
  • We love Jefferson, and are zoned for Forest Park. We have two sons in school now (at Jefferson) and four more coming behind them, so we want to stay in our immediate area because of those elementary schools. However we plan to homeschool at least the first two years of middle school for many reasons, one of them being a lack of quality options.
  • N/A
  • Right now we are not planning to saty for middle school
  • we planto remain in the LRSD but we really hope that a new Public or at least a Charter Middle School will be created for the West Little Rock residents. We have a fourth grader and we feel there is still time to see a new Charter School in WLR.
  • Only an uneducated parent that lacks care for their child would go along with Little Rock’s school situation. Clean up Forest Heights. Shame on our law makers. I’m paying taxes for clearly no representation. This is a single parent struggling to make safe choices for her children and Little Rock impedes a parents ability to ensure a child has a safe & good choice for education. A child should NEVER be afraid to go to school.
  • May try to get into a magnet school. I was hoping for the charter school to happen in west little rock. I do not trust that the LR school district with open a middle school in west LR in a timely fashion. My daughter will be in middle school 2015. I am a single mother and worrying about where she is going to go to middle school keeps me up at night. It is not right to have this problem. There should be a good middle school in west LR. The only reason LR is waking up to the idea of a middle school out west is because of Gary Newtons leadership in motivating west LR parents by giving us hope for a charter school…..which I hope happens.
  • n/a
  • unknown at this point
  • would stay in the LRSD for middle school only if an acceptable middle school was opened in west LR
  • I would consider staying in LRSD IF a middle school was provided in west Little Rock to serve the students after graduating Don Roberts .
  • N/A
  • N/a
  • We are not staying in the LRSD. Build a middle and a high school. Fill those schools with the best teachers teaching our students, with buildings that function, and with efficient and intelligent administration oversight. Then, and only then will we come back to the LRSD.
  • I will enroll my kids in the Arkansas Online Academy.
  • N/a
  • We are big supporters of public schools. We think strong public schools = strong communities. However, we will decide what is best for our children at the time and go with that. PH Middle is our plan now. We are both teachers and hear good things about PH. Our neighbors who attend (or whose children attend) PH Middle speak highly of it. My colleagues whose children are at PH Middle like it. My high school students who went to PH Middle are better prepared for HS than those who went to the public charter schools, private schools, or other public middle schools. I do with we had a school for the gifted and talented, as larger schools do. My daughter is bright and is not especially challenged by her elem school, though her teachers have been supportive of all the extras I do with her (letting her share her projects in class, etc). A GT school would suit her better. If she stays so far ahead of her peers we may seek out alternate educational setting for her. We have to wait and see. My son appears to be on a similar track (though not quite as advanced as his sister) so a GT school would suit him too. My hubby and I are both LRSD teachers (HS teachers of AP courses) and would LOVE to see a GT school to support our advanced students….just something to think on…
  • Home school??
  • If we stay within the LRSD we will either go to private school or a charter school as the LRSD middle schools does not meet our educational needs.
  • I am a Little Rock native, and I work here. I love the city and want to raise my family in Little Rock. I want to see Little Rock develop into a thriving city that attracts families from around the country.
  • Will not stay in district past elementary. The middle and high school options are not satisfactory
  • N/A
  • Na
  • We are hopeful that the situation with public middle schools will be improving within the next few years. We will be closely watching the situation. If things stay the same, then we will use public charter, private, or homeschool options at the middle school level as needed.
  • We will not be staying with the LRSD after 5 th grade.
  • I grew up in public schools from K – 12th grade in Mississippi. I believe in what public schools can provide and accomplish. We’ve been very pleased with the LRSD schools thus far, but have many apprehensions regarding Middle School.
  • Probably not
  • N/A
  • My 5th grader will be attending Pulaski Academy next year.
  • na
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • With the current choices available to my family, I do not plan on staying in the LRSD.
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • Need to stay in our house, even though we would not like to send our kids to the middle school we are zoned for.
  • Because we would rather continue to live in our current home and pay private school tuition to ensure that our child’s middle school years are productive (ie – private school).
  • My children will attend private school over the option of attending LRSD. There is no option that is acceptable in the LRSD as far as middle school goes.
  • We would like to stay in the Little Rock School District so we don’t have to move. I like the idea of my children staying in the same district through graduation. I do feel that the quality of education and the opportunities available to my children will be greater by staying in the Little Rock School district. While we could afford private school, I do not feel that is the best option for us. However, I would like to feel that more people are willing to get on board with the same common goals to improve the reputation of our current middle schools.
  • I would like to stay in the little rock school district if there will be a good middle school not far from my neighbourhood. My kids can stay with the friends they made during elementary school too. Unfortunately, there is no school like this now.
  • I would like to stay in the Little Rock School District and for my son to attend a public middle school.
  • not applicable, we’re leaving
  • We are staying b/c we wouldn’t be able to sell our house for value b/c of the school zone issues… people, including realtors look at this information and ours is currently negative. We feel if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem by not seeking answers and by being passive. So we plan on being VERY active in changing the school issue in our area into a positive… or, rather, GETTING a school in our area. We won’t give up until it happens!
  • I will only stay if there is a middle school in my area.
  • We will remain in LRSD; our 2 older children attended LRSD elementary (Fulbright & Rockefeller), middle (Dunbar and Mann) and high school (Parkview). We support LRSD.
  • I want to support the LRSD as a whole. We are now facing choices that we should not have to make. Do we move to an area where we would attend a neighborhood school tha we want to attend or do we send our children miles from home to our zoned school or a magnet school. The best solution for our family would be a MS in or near WLR. That would allow us as parents to be more involved!
  • Not applicable
  • We can not afford to move. Our house is barely worth more than when we purchased. My hopes are that my son will be allowed admittance to Joe T Robinson elementary school.
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • n/a
  • NA
  • n/a
  • I would love to stay in the district. I believe in public schools. I am very involved at my children’s school, but it makes it near impossible to be involved in a school that is 25 minutes from my house after working a 10 hour day.
  • Still considering our options in the next couple of years with what develops as far as a middle school/high school in our area.
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • not applicable
  • We plan to say at least through elementary school. We will stay for Middle School if better option opens up.
  • Not staying
  • Only if the district will provide for the westward growth of the city that all other cities in the country can keep up with.
  • We will stay if there is a new MS west of I-430 to send our kids to.
  • I would like to, and may again at High School, but won’t for middle school.
  • N/A
  • I love Little Rock, I’m just not crazy about the public schools. Don Roberts is awesome, we need more public schools like that. Else let tax payers who send their kids to Private schools get the public cost per child deducted from their taxes.
  • no other choices.
  • n/a
  • I support public schools but want a safe, productive learning environment for my student.
  • Both of my children will stay in the LRSD until middel school. Then we will be forced to go to private schools.
  • We still have a few years, but we cannot see sending our child to Forest Heights as it stands now. We are not sure what direction we will take, but moving is not an option. However, if we had a middle school in WLR, there is no doubt we would be sending her there. We LOVE Roberts and know a new middle school would be just as good.
  • n/a
  • N/A
  • Not applicable
  • NA
  • We would stay in Little Rock if a quality Middle School is built.
  • n/a
  • I would like to stay in the LRSD school district. The district has not provided me with any suitable options for my district. I can not understand how the LRSD and the City of Little Rock has such poor planning for growth. With the huge population of WLR, it is unimaginable that there is not a Middle School or High School in that area. Look at how quickly Roberts was at capacity. If LRSD would build it, the students would come.
  • I am a proponent of Public Schools. I have guardianship of my (9) year old nephew, whom is currently in the 4th grade. We are zoned for Forest Heights. I think it is sad that due to the reputation of the school, concerned parents with children who want to learn will not send their children there. Therefore, the majority of students there are children that don’t have parental support and no desire to learn. If I send my child there, will he be able to get a good education? The really sad thing is that this is the case for most of the LRSD middle schools. I’m not sure what the solution is, but we must find one soon.
  • n/a
  • not planning to stay with the district
  • Na
  • Na
  • Not
  • We would stay in LRSD for middle and high school if the level of education, safety and family involvement we see at Roberts was continued to the middle and high school level. I have been immeasurably pleased with the amazing job they’re doing with Roberts, and I would love to be able to continue with public school of that level of achievement and environment for middle and high school. 
  • I need to be able to trust that the school board is making reasonable decisions and has competent leadership.
  • n/a
  • Not applicable

Like parents, school districts should make all decisions based upon data and what is best for the student(s). Anything else is unacceptable and patronizing to those who truly do their homework.

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