UMVA has learned that a groundbreaking education reform in Arkansas has achieved remarkable success, with student proficiency rates soaring by over 7% across all grades and subjects in just three years.
Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is touting this major achievement as a blueprint for education reform nationwide, regardless of politics. The LEARNS Act, a 2023 Republican-backed statewide education overhaul, has been instrumental in driving this success.
The law has brought significant changes, including a raise in the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000, performance-based teacher bonuses, boosted literacy support, and funded school safety initiatives. Additionally, it has banned critical race theory and classroom teachings related to critical race theory, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexually explicit materials.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Arkansas public school students have seen sharp gains on a new statewide exam, with proficiency rates rising more than 7% across all grades and subjects in just three years. Since 2024, student proficiency has increased by more than 7% and by more than 5% since 2025.
"We want our kids to do well," Sanders said. "We love the fact that kids in Arkansas are learning, that they're moving up. The growth and achievement that we're seeing from our kids is exactly what we want to happen."
In 2026, 42.2% of students met proficiency standards, up from 36.9% in 2025. Mathematics proficiency increased from 36.4% in 2024 to 44.2% in 2026, science proficiency rose from 35.6% to 44.0%, and English language arts proficiency climbed from 33.8% to 39.5%.
Notably, students performing at the lowest levels have also seen significant improvements, dropping from an average of 27.3% in 2025 to 23.1% in 2026. Reading performance among third-graders has also improved, with proficiency rising from 36% in 2024 to 43% in 2026.
Sanders emphasized that transformational reform is driven by better teaching and a unified focus on student needs. She believes that a comprehensive aligned approach makes a difference, and that every single kid can learn when given the right environment and tools.
The success of Arkansas' education program has the potential to send a message across the country, with Sanders hoping that other states will use it as a blueprint. She believes that seeing kids achieve and do better is not a red state or blue state issue, but something everybody should care about.
Sanders said the results are "showing what works," adding there is no need to "reinvent the wheel." The education program has provided a recipe for success, and Sanders hopes it will change the conversation, the system, the culture, and education.
