LEARNS is Working: Student Test Scores Rise Across the Board

Arkansas public school students show significant academic improvement in every single grade level, across every single subject.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Education today announced the results of the 2026 statewide Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (ATLAS) test, which mark a major breakthrough in the state's effort to transform education. Three years after Governor Sanders signed the LEARNS Act - a statewide education overhaul - more students than ever before scored proficient on the ATLAS exam, which is taken by every single public school student.

"The 2026 ATLAS exam scores confirm what we're hearing from educators across the Natural State: Arkansas LEARNS is working and students across Arkansas are doing better because of it. We took education back to the basics to focus on what really matters, and our students' success will power our state's future for years to come," said Governor Sanders. "The message these scores send is clear: now is the time to double down on the successes of the LEARNS Act and continue to pursue the strategy we know is helping more students than ever before thrive."

Across all subjects and grade levels, proficiency has risen by more than 20% since 2024, from 35% to 42%. From the 2024 baseline year, proficiency in mathematics increased from 36.4% to 44.2%, proficiency in science increased from 35.6% to 44.0%, and proficiency in English language arts increased from 33.8% to 39.5%.

Additionally, the number of students performing at the lowest levels decreased across all subjects, falling from an average of 27.9% in 2024 to 23.1% in 2026 - a 17% decrease. The percentage of students proficient in reading in the third grade, a critical benchmark that determines future educational success, increased from 35% in 2024 to 43% in 2026, a more than 18% increase.

Significantly, proficiency for K-2 students, who have all started school since the LEARNS Act was signed, tops 50% across all but one subject in one grade level and shows continued upward trends. English language arts proficiency in kindergarten alone has grown by 31% in just the last year, from 50.2% to 66%. K-2 proficiency lays solid groundwork for students' future success and demonstrates the effectiveness of early intervention opportunities established in 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.

Districts across Arkansas can now review their ATLAS assessment data and determine next steps in partnership with ADE, supported by LEARNS' literacy interventions, targeted student tutoring, and progress monitoring.

A summary of the 2026 ATLAS results is available here.

Full 2025-2026 growth scores and school ratings will be released in fall 2026. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), "the Nation's Report Card," compares Arkansas' results with other states', and is expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027.

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