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Week 13: Learning from Success and Aiming Higher
Happy Friday!
As we move deeper into the fall semester, I want to thank everyone for the steady, day-by-day effort that defines Mena Public Schools. Whether you are teaching, driving, feeding, cleaning, supporting, or leading, the work you do matters. It matters to the children who look forward to seeing you each day, to the families who trust us, and to the community that counts on us to help shape its future.
This has been a week of reflection and recognition, and there is much to celebrate. Our district’s progress is evident in both the data and the daily examples of professionalism I see across our campuses. We have also received more state accountability results, and they tell a story of progress, perseverance, and opportunity for continued growth.
District Report Card Results – A “B” for Mena
This week, the Arkansas Department of Education released the 2024–2025 District Report Cards, and I am pleased to share that Mena Public Schools earned a “B” rating. Only thirty-six percent of districts statewide reached that level, which reflects the strong, sustained effort of our teachers, support staff, and leaders in every building.
This system was created through Act 474 of 2025, legislation passed in the most recent General Assembly that now requires all public school districts and education service cooperatives to receive an A–F letter grade based on student achievement, growth, graduation and readiness, and equity. The change aligns with the LEARNS Act and provides a more complete picture of each district’s performance.
Mena’s results reflect steady, measurable improvement. In Achievement, our students scored above the state average in all tested areas—35 percent in English Language Arts, 43 percent in Math, and 44 percent in Science. In Growth, which measures individual student progress, 65 percent of students met math targets and 49 percent met science targets, both above the state average. Our Success-Ready Graduate indicator, combining graduation and postsecondary readiness, reached 56 percent, slightly above the state’s 55 percent average.
To remind you, our two elementary schools, Louise Durham and Holly Harshman, each earned B ratings, while Mena Middle and Mena High School earned C ratings—placing our district in the upper range across Arkansas. There were no D’s or F’s anywhere in our system.
While we celebrate these results, we also recognize where our work continues. Our achievement rates, though higher than state averages, still mean that fewer than half of students are performing at or above grade-level expectations. That is the challenge before us—to turn strong growth into mastery. Growth shows that our instruction is moving students forward; achievement shows how many have reached the goal. The connection between the two is the purposeful, daily instruction that sharpens focus, builds confidence, and leads every student to success.
Letter grades and full data for every district and school in Arkansas are publicly available at https://myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov.
The site provides detailed information on student demographics, academic performance, growth trends, graduation rates, and readiness indicators. I encourage staff and community members to explore it and join us in celebrating how far we have come, and in understanding where our continued attention can make the greatest impact.
This “B” is both a mark of achievement and an invitation to keep improving. It confirms that our foundation is strong and our direction is right, but also that our purpose is unfinished. With steady focus, collaboration, and determination, we will continue to move from good to great.
Opportunities and Engagement
November brings several exciting opportunities that align with our mis
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