Fountain Lake School District aims to boost student achievement, support

FOUNTAIN LAKE — Fountain Lake School District Superintendent Darin Landry presented the district’s annual report to the public on Oct. 13, which outlined goals to boost reading and math skills, expand student support services and strengthen school culture.

Landry said the district wants to increase the number of students reading and performing math on grade level by the end of third grade, while ensuring instruction and assessment align with state standards. Other key focuses are to provide tutoring or enrichment opportunities when needed and to develop a “Portrait of a Graduate” framework by the end of the school year.

According to the report, the district’s graduation rate for 2025 remained steady at 89%, matching last year’s rate. Over the past eight years, graduation rates have ranged from a high of 94% in 2020 and 2023 to a low of 88% in 2021.

Enrollment has gradually declined in recent years, with 1,218 students enrolled as of Oct. 1, including 38 in pre-kindergarten. That is down from 1,246 students last school year and 1,410 in 2021-22.

The district’s gifted and talented program serves 61 students in grades 3-12, while all kindergarten through second grade students receive whole-group enrichment instruction. Elementary students in the program attend a resource class for 150 minutes each week and participate in project-based learning and academic competitions such as quiz bowl and chess tournaments.

Middle school students, the report said, participate in pull-out enrichment sessions, project-based classes and place-based learning, while high school students have access to honors, Advanced Placement and concurrent credit courses through National Park College and online programs.

The district also reported 175 students receiving special education services this year, down from 225 in 2023 and 210 in 2022. Additionally, 17.13% of Fountain Lake students are receiving mental health services, reflecting the district’s ongoing focus on student well-being.

SCHOOL LEVEL REPORTS

Each of Fountain Lake’s three campuses — elementary, middle and high school — received a C letter grade for the 2024-25 school year under the Arkansas Department of Education’s new accountability system. School principals said that while improvement is needed, data shows positive trends and a clear direction for growth.

Elementary Principal Katie Curry said the campus has implemented a new instructional model, known as the 15-Day Challenge, now used districtwide.

“This focuses on intentional teaching and assessment of standards with a continuous cycle of analyzing our student data to drive our instruction,” Curry said at the Oct. 13 school board meeting. “All of our staff work really hard and diligent in their teams in our (Professional Learning Communities) process every Wednesday and when they meet together during their planning times.”

Curry said the school’s WIN, or “What I Need,” period provides 45 to 60 minutes each day for targeted instruction. According to the latest Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System scores, she said third graders ranked 27th in the state in literacy and 23rd in math, both in the top 10% statewide, she said, while science scores ranked in the top 12%.

Middle school Principal Adam Stage said the campus grew its bottom 25% of students by 12 points on the Every Student Succeeds Act score, a key state performance indicator.

“It wasn’t by a large margin. I think we’re gonna have a greater growth this year, but we did go in the right direction, which I was happy about,” Stage said.

He said the middle school adopted standards-based grading for fifth and sixth grades, expanded teacher collaboration and added a Response to Intervention period for students who need extra support.

Stage said the school’s goals for the year include a 3% increase in weighted achievement scores on ATLAS assessments and higher parent participation.

High school Principal Garrett Whitley said his campus is focused on improving academic performance and strengthening intervention efforts.

“I want to be the best in the co-op; I want to be the best in the state,” Whitley said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but at the same time, I think these are steps to get there for sure.”

The high school also implemented the 15-Day Unit Planning Model and plans to add RTI periods to its schedule. The campus reported a 92.06% attendance rate and an 89.47% graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year.