SNSD Schools Earn Eight University of Arkansas OEP Awards for Student Growth
All three Smackover-Norphlet School District campuses have received Outstanding Educational Performance Awards from the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas, adding to a growing list of academic honors earned by the district during the 2025–2026 school year.
Norphlet Middle School, Smackover Elementary School, and Smackover High School earned a combined eight awards for high student growth on the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System, or ATLAS.
The OEP awards recognize schools where students demonstrated significant academic improvement compared with students across Arkansas who had similar levels of prior achievement. Schools are recognized for overall growth, which includes mathematics, English language arts, and science, as well as for growth within individual subject areas.
Smackover Elementary School
Smackover Elementary received two awards in the Southwest region:- High Overall Growth
- High Math Growth
Norphlet Middle School
Norphlet Middle received three awards in the Southwest region:- High Overall Growth
- High Math Growth
- High English Language Arts Growth
Smackover High School
Smackover High received three awards in the Southwest region:- High Overall Growth
- High English Language Arts Growth
- High Science Growth
The district previously received an overall B rating from the Arkansas Department of Education. Smackover Elementary maintained its B rating, while Norphlet Middle improved from a D the previous year to a B.
Smackover High School also earned a B rating and received three Arkansas Gem School designations for Growth of All Students — Top 5%, Growth by Content Area — English Language Arts, and Growth by Content Area — Science.
Together, the state ratings, Arkansas Gem School designations, and OEP Growth Awards reflect the academic progress students are making across every district campus. They also highlight the commitment of teachers, administrators, staff members, families, and students throughout the Smackover-Norphlet community.
The Office for Education Policy describes academic growth as one of the strongest indicators of the positive impact a school has on its students. Unlike measures based solely on proficiency, growth scores reflect how much students improved compared with other Arkansas students who began at similar achievement levels.
The complete lists of honorees are available in the OEP’s Elementary School Level Report, Middle School Level Report, and High School Level Report.
Congratulations to the students and employees of Norphlet Middle School, Smackover Elementary School, and Smackover High School on these outstanding achievements.
We are Smackover-Norphlet!
We are One Family!