Overview
- The Arkansas Department of Education released 2025–26 district letter grades Thursday and reported more As and Bs and fewer Ds and Fs across the state.
- State officials said the grades are based on the ATLAS test and measures of achievement, growth, and readiness while the department counted 26 A districts, 114 Bs, 88 Cs, 17 Ds, and 9 Fs out of 254 districts.
- Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders credited the LEARNS Act for the gains, citing new testing, tutoring and teacher-pay changes that supporters say drove improvements.
- Critics and teacher advocates questioned accountability because private schools that accept Educational Freedom Account funds are not assigned state letter grades and account holders may use alternate tests.
- Media noted a temporary upload glitch in the department’s online data center on release day, and coverage varied with some outlets emphasizing statewide gains and others highlighting local shifts, remaining questions about vouchers, and access to the full data.