22 School Districts in Red, Purple Zones on ACHI’s Map for New COVID-19 Infections

LITTLE ROCK ― Twenty-two Arkansas public school districts have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, down from 40 last week, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement said Thursday.

The health policy center also said that for the fourth week in a row, the number of school districts with COVID-19 vaccination rates of at least 50% of district residents remains at five: Bentonville at 54%, Cleveland County and Magnet Cove at 53%, Fountain Lake at 52%, and Pulaski County Special School District at 51%.

Among the 22 districts with 14-day infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents, one, Scranton, has a rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents, up from zero last week, according to Arkansas Department of Health data obtained Monday.

The school district-level information, along with other local-level data on infection and vaccination rates, can be found on ACHI’s COVID-19 in Arkansas web page at achi.net/covid19. On ACHI’s map of Arkansas school districts, a district with 50 to 99 new known infections per 10,000 residents is shaded red, and a district with 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents is shaded purple. The color-shading of a district is based on infections among community residents living within the geographical boundaries of each school district and not on cases among school employees and students.

Known infections reported by ACHI include confirmed and probable cases. Probable cases are based on verbal reporting and antigen test results, as identified by the Department of Health.

Infection rates and counts are not shown for districts with fewer than five reported infections to reduce the possibility of identifying individuals. School district counts do not include infections among incarcerated populations, in nursing homes, or in human development centers.

ACHI also updated its maps and tables displaying COVID-19 vaccination rates by public school district, community, and ZIP code, using Department of Health data current as of Monday. This information is the product of a partnership between ACHI and the Arkansas Department of Health.

As of Monday, the following 22 school districts had a rate of at least 50 new known infections per 10,000 district residents over the previous 14 days. An asterisk indicates that a district is new to the list this week.

ACHI is a nonpartisan, independent health policy center that serves as a catalyst for improving the health of all Arkansans through evidence-based research, public issue advocacy, and collaborative program development.

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