Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Pine Bluff’s public schools score below 97% of Arkansas districts on tests and graduation
9% of students in Pine Bluff’s public schools are proficient in math, below the Arkansas average (38%). The grade covers the public school district serving Pine Bluff, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Arkansas, not nationally.
From Arkansas state tests taken in spring 2022, when 95% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Pine Bluff’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 13% of tested students were proficient in reading and 9% in math, against 40% and 38% statewide; 95% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
74% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 90% across Arkansas. Districts ↓
Spending, and where it came from
The district spent $16,738 per student in FY2024, against $13,585 across Arkansas. 31% of its revenue that year was federal (Arkansas 14%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓
Four elementary schools, then one middle and one high school
Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 7 the district’s path is Pine Bluff Junior High School, then Pine Bluff High School. Enrollment is up 13% since 2021–22. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
Friendship Aspire Academy Hazel St. Pine Bluff, Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast Pine Bluff, Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff and Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast Middle School Pine Bluff are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Pine Bluff’s grade
D−: better than 3% of Arkansas school districts, last of 123 Arkansas towns. Both inputs trail the Arkansas average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Pine Bluff, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Pine Bluff
Forrest Park Greenville Preschool
Grades PK · 204 students · 15:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff Junior High School
Grades 7–9 · 610 students · 10:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff Junior High School
Grades 7–9 · 610 students · 10:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff Junior High School
Grades 7–9 · 610 students · 10:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff High School
Grades 10–12 · 688 students · 14:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff High School
Grades 10–12 · 688 students · 14:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff High School
Grades 10–12 · 688 students · 14:1 students per teacher
Pine Bluff’s public schools are run by Pine Bluff School District, which also serves Altheimer, Sherrill and Wabbaseka. Parts of Pine Bluff (19% and 6% of its land) are served by Watson Chapel and White Hall instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Pine Bluff vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Arkansas towns that share Pine Bluff’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Bluff | D− | Pine Bluff |
| White Hall | B+ | White Hall |
Every school in Pine Bluff
15 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Arkansas’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Left off: 1 public program with fewer than 25 students (Southeast Ark College Careet Center).
Questions about Pine Bluff’s schools
Are Pine Bluff’s schools good?
On Arkansas’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Pine Bluff children attend score below 97% of Arkansas’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 2%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Pine Bluff in?
Pine Bluff School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,896 students in 7 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Pine Bluff are served by Watson Chapel and White Hall.
Where do Pine Bluff kids go to high school?
Pine Bluff High School, with 688 students; its own test results earn a D−.
What is Pine Bluff’s graduation rate?
74% of the class of 2023 in Pine Bluff School District graduated in four years, against 90% across Arkansas.
How much does Pine Bluff spend per student?
$16,738 in Pine Bluff School District (FY2024), against $13,585 across Arkansas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Pine Bluff families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Pine Bluff → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Arkansas. Stars are from neighbors.