Office for Education Policy Announces 2025 Growth Award Winners

The Office for Education Policy, a research unit in the College of Education and Health Professions' Department of Education Reform, recently announced the winners of its annual OEP Growth Awards.

The Growth Awards recognize Arkansas schools that demonstrate outstanding educational performance, which focuses solely on student academic growth. OEP cites the outstanding educational performance metric as a more accurate representation of what students are learning in schools, rather than what challenges they may face due to out-of-school factors.

"Recognizing schools that have the greatest impact on student learning is so important!" said Sarah McKenzie, executive director of OEP. "High-quality classroom instruction and relationships with students and families make these schools the kind we want for all Arkansas kids." 

OEP recognizes one school at each level (elementary, middle and high) for overall growth, along with the highest growth score in math and English language arts.

At the elementary level, Pottsville Elementary won the award for highest overall student growth. Pottsville also received the top spot for growth in math, and Marvell-Elaine Elementary achieved the highest growth in ELA.

Since the start of the annual awards in 2017, Pottsville has achieved the top overall growth score seven times.

"Earning the highest overall student growth for the seventh time is an incredible honor for Pottsville Elementary," said Principal Shannon Davis. "It reflects the dedication, passion and hard work our teachers and support staff invest in every child, every day. Our team embraces instructional freedom, allowing them to tailor learning to the unique strengths and needs of each classroom, and that flexibility—combined with their wholehearted dedication—creates meaningful academic growth for all students."

The middle-level school with the highest overall growth was Imboden Area Charter of Black Rock, Arkansas. The top math growth score belonged to eSTEM Junior High, and the highest ELA growth also went to Imboden Area Charter.

Finally, Haas Hall Academy Jones Center achieved the highest overall growth among high schools. Haas Hall Bentonville had the top math growth score, and LISA Academy North High demonstrated the highest ELA growth.

"Haas Hall Academy Bentonville is honored to be recognized with the award for High Growth in High School," said Headmaster Tiffany DeSpain. "This distinction truly does reflect the hard work and commitment to excellence of our incredible faculty and hardworking scholars. Student growth measures how much progress each scholar makes over the course of the year, and earning the highest ranking demonstrates that our scholars are not only consistently achieving at a high level but also continually working to improve."

The list of Growth Award-winning schools, along with their growth scores, can be found on the OEP website. The office also recognizes schools that are Beating the Odds by demonstrating high growth while serving a high population of students who face economic disadvantages outside of school.

The annual OEP Growth Awards are just one of many initiatives of the Office for Education Policy. 

The office routinely provides assistance and consultation services to state policymakers, school district leaders and classroom teachers. By helping inform education leaders in Arkansas, OEP advances policy decisions, accountability systems and educational interventions.

Founded in 2003, OEP has served as a key resource for the state's education stakeholders for over 20 years. OEP bridges the gap between research and practice, using data and evidence to improve pre-K-20 education in Arkansas. 

OEP is led by McKenzie and Associate Director Denise Airola. Both McKenzie and Airola are professors in the Department of Education Reform, specializing in education policy and research at the state and national levels.

Visit the Office for Education Policy website for more information on education research projects, data sets and resources for all education stakeholders.