Arkansas: 2026 Assessment Results
ELA and math gains in third year of ATLAS assessment
2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data.
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
This spring marked the third year of results from the Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (ATLAS), after the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) first administered the test in 2024 aligned to the 2017 Arkansas Academic Standards. Results are reported across the following four achievement levels, with levels 3-4 considered “proficient”:
Level 1: students are significantly behind grade-level expectations and require substantial academic support.
Level 2: students are performing at or near grade-level expectations but have not yet demonstrated consistent mastery.
Level 3: students are meeting grade-level expectations.
Level 4: students are exceeding expectations and should be considered for enrichment and acceleration opportunities to continue advancing their learning.
Recent results from the ATLAS test show ELA and math gains for students in grades 3-8 compared to 2024 and 2025.
ELA: Approximately 40.1% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency on the ATLAS assessment in 2026, above 35.4% from 2025. All grades demonstrated growth in 2026 compared to 2025, with the greatest gains in Grade 3, rising from 36% to 42.8% proficient (6.8 percentage point change).
Math: Approximately 44.1% of students reached proficiency on the grade 3-8 assessments in 2026, up from 38.7% in 2025. As with ELA, all grades demonstrated growth this year compared to 2025; this was led by Grade 5 (a 7.8 percentage point change) and Grade 3 (a 5.7 percentage point change).
A press release from the Governor and the Arkansas Department of Education highlights rising scores as evidence of the successful implementation of the 2023 LEARNS Act (“LEARNS”):
“The LEARNS Act was a bold, innovative, and comprehensive approach to improve education,” Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said. “It was built on research, urgency, and the desperate need for change. These scores prove that listening to teachers, administrators, and parents wasn’t just valuable but also essential. The plan is working. Arkansas students are reading, learning, and benefiting.”
Governor Sanders signed Arkansas LEARNS in 2023 to overhaul Arkansas’ education system and establish a laser focus on student success. Among many other reforms, the law raised starting teacher salaries from $36,000 to $50,000 and created the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program to retain the best and brightest educators. LEARNS deployed more than 120 literacy coaches to every D- and F-rated school across the state and provided tutoring grants for struggling students. In sum, LEARNS was the largest investment in public education in Arkansas history.
Additionally, LEARNS created universal education freedom for the first time in Arkansas history, required high school career and technical education in one of 18 high-wage, high-growth industries in every public school district in the state, and launched grant programs to improve school safety. Following the LEARNS Act, Governor Sanders has supported Arkansas students by making Arkansas the first state in the South to offer universal, free school breakfast; removing cell phones from classrooms through the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act; and signing Arkansas ACCESS to invest in higher education and ensure every Arkansas student graduates high school ready to enroll, enlist, or be employed.
Unfortunately, student subgroup results are not available at this time; the figures below present results for all students completing the grade 3-8 assessment (results do not include high school assessments such as algebra I or geometry).
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name:
2018-2023: ACT Aspire
2024-2026: Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (ATLAS)
Additional Information:
An ATLAS assessment overview can be found here: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/public-school-accountability/assessment/atlas-assessment-overview
ATLAS 2026 results are available from the Arkansas Department of Education here: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/public-school-accountability/assessment-test-scores/2026
The press release from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Education can be found here: https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/learns-is-working-student-test-scores-rise-across-the-board/
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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