86% OF ARKANSAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS NOW HAVE HIGH COMMUNITY INFECTION RATES

LITTLE ROCK ― Two hundred one Arkansas school districts ― 86% of the state’s districts, a new high ― have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, up from 179 a week ago, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement said Thursday. Of those districts, a record high of 54 have 14-day COVID-19 infection rates of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents, or more than 1% of local residents.

For the first time, the list of districts with infection rates of 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents includes the Little Rock School District, the state’s largest district.

ACHI identified school districts with high infection rates by analyzing data received Monday from the Arkansas Department of Health. The infections are among community residents living within the geographical boundaries of the school districts and are not specific to school employees and students. Known infections include confirmed and probable cases. Probable cases are based on verbal reporting and antigen test results, as identified by the Department of Health.

ACHI identifies districts with 50 to 99 new known infections per 10,000 residents as being in the “red zone” and districts with 100 or more new known infections per 10,000 residents as being in the “purple zone.” The districts are shaded in these colors on the school district map on ACHI’s COVID-19 in Arkansas web page at achi.net/covid19.

“We are seeing the impact of the holidays on communities across the state. Fifty-four school districts now have more than 1% of their population newly infected in the past 14 days, putting pressure on our schools and healthcare system,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “We are still early in the process of getting Arkansans immunized against this disease. Get the shot when your turn comes, but in the meantime, do your part: wash your hands often, keep 6 feet away from people who are not members of your household, and mask up.”

Rates of new known infections in school districts across the state, as well as counts of cumulative and new infections, are tracked on ACHI’s COVID-19 in Arkansas web page. Rates and counts are not shown for districts with fewer than five 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.

As of Monday, the following 201 school districts had a rate of at least 50 new known infections per 10,000 district residents over the previous 14 days. Twenty-six school districts, denoted with asterisks, were added to the list this week, and 175 remained on the list. Only four districts dropped off the list.

• Alma – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Alpena
• Arkadelphia
• Armorel
• Ashdown
• Atkins
• Augusta
• Bald Knob
• Barton-Lexa – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Batesville
• Bauxite – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Bay
• Bearden
• Beebe – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Benton – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Bentonville
• Bergman
• Berryville
• Bismarck
• Blytheville
• Booneville
• Bradford*
• Brinkley
• Brookland – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Bryant
• Buffalo Island Central
• Cabot
• Caddo Hills
• Calico Rock
• Camden Fairview
• Carlisle
• Cave City
• Cedar Ridge
• Cedarville
• Centerpoint – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Charleston
• Clarendon – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Clarksville – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Cleveland County
• Clinton
• Concord
• Conway
• Corning
• County Line*
• Cross County
• Crossett
• Cutter-Morning Star – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Danville – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Dardanelle – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Decatur
• Dermott*
• Des Arc – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• DeWitt*
• Dover – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Drew Central
• East End – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• El Dorado
• Elkins – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• England
• Eureka Springs
• Farmington – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Fayetteville
• Flippin
• Fordyce* – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Foreman
• Forrest City*
• Fort Smith
• Fountain Lake*
• Gentry – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Glen Rose – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Gravette
• Green Forest*
• Greenbrier – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Greene County Tech
• Greenland*
• Greenwood – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Guy-Perkins – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Hackett – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Hampton
• Harmony Grove (Clark, Dallas, and Ouachita Counties)
• Harmony Grove (Saline County)
• Harrisburg
• Harrison
• Hazen
• Heber Springs – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Hector
• Helena/West Helena*
• Hermitage
• Highland
• Hillcrest
• Hope*
• Hot Springs*
• Hoxie
• Huntsville
• Izard County Consolidated
• Jackson County*
• Jacksonville
• Jasper
• Jessieville
• Jonesboro
• Junction City
• Kirby
• Lake Hamilton
• Lakeside
• Lamar
• Lavaca – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Lawrence County
• Lee County
• Lincoln
• Little Rock – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Lonoke
• Magazine*
• Magnet Cove – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Malvern
• Mammoth Spring
• Manila
• Mansfield
• Marion
• Marked Tree
• Marmaduke
• Mayflower
• Maynard
• McCrory – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• McGehee
• Melbourne – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Mena – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Midland
• Monticello
• Mount Ida*
• Mountain Home
• Mountain Pine
• Mountainburg
• Mt. Vernon/Enola – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Mulberry/Pleasant View*
• Nemo Vista
• Nettleton
• Norfork
• North Little Rock
• Omaha*
• Osceola
• Ouachita – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Ouachita River
• Ozark
• Ozark Mountain*
• Palestine/Wheatley
• Pangburn
• Paragould
• Paris – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Parkers Chapel
• Pea Ridge – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Perryville
• Piggott*
• Pine Bluff*
• Pocahontas – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Pottsville
• Poyen
• Prairie Grove – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Prescott*
• Pulaski County Special
• Quitman – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Rector
• Rivercrest*
• Riverside
• Riverview
• Rogers – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Rose Bud
• Russellville – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Salem – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Scranton – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Searcy
• Sheridan
• Shirley*
• Siloam Springs – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Sloan-Hendrix
• Smackover
• South Conway County – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• South Side – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Southside
• Springdale – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Star City
• Strong-Huttig
• Stuttgart
• Trumann – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Two Rivers
• Valley Springs*
• Valley View
• Van Buren
• Vilonia – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Waldron – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Warren – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• West Fork – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• West Memphis*
• West Side
• Western Yell County
• Westside – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Westside Consolidated
• White Hall
• Wonderview – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Woodlawn
• Wynne – rate of 100 or more new known infections per 10K residents
• Yellville-Summit*

Four districts were in the red or purple zone a week earlier but have dropped below that level this week: Cotter, Marvell, Mountain View, and Searcy County.

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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