Ouachita School District
Ouachita School District, located right off Hwy. 67 at 166 Schoolhouse Rd. in Donaldson, has 68 employees on the payroll and serves about 510 students in grades kindergarten through 12th. The teachers and administrators in this district care deeply about offering superior learning in a safe, encouraging, and inclusive environment.
The district regularly exceeds the state averages in standardized test scores, and has received several awards for academic performance over the past few years. The district offers various Advanced Placement and G/T classes to propel their brightest students to the peak of academic performance.
As quoted on the district’s website, “The mission of Ouachita Public Schools is to provide, in a safe and nurturing environment, each student with equitable opportunities to become independent. Ouachita School District will involve teachers, students, parents, and community members in the total education process.”
Some of the more engaging programs the district offers in the upper levels are Art, Band, SR Beta Club, JR Beta Club, Choir, Drama, FFA, FCCLA, Gifted and Talented, Journalism, Music, SR Student Council, JR Student Council, SR Quizbowl, and JR Quizbowl.
As for progress in the last year, Superintendent Larry Newsom said that the district completed construction on their new addition, a 10,208 square-foot administration, student center, and career and technical education facility, as well as having the gym parking lot paved.
Newsom said the students and teachers make Ouachita School District a success. Parental involvement in all aspects of their children’s educational journey at OSD also adds to the integrity and future success of students as they transition from the small pond at Ouachita to the big ocean of life beyond high school.
A big change was the transition to a four-day school week. Faculty, students, and parents alike seem to find the change an improvement, and the district is operating as usual and meeting all their testing and performance goals.
Everyone living and working in the school district is on the same page about maintaining a safe and rewarding learning environment, and while the district continues to monitor and take all safety precautions we are thankful to see a decline in the number of COVID cases, and things returning to a more normal state. The faculty at
Ouachita work together to comprehensively enhance the learning experience, and will continue to do so, for all students in the district.