Summary:
The city of Harrison, Arkansas, is served by two high schools—Harrison High School and Bergman High School—which together offer a clear picture of two distinct educational approaches within a small, economically diverse region.
Harrison High School, part of the Harrison School District, is the larger school with 843 students and consistently ranks among the top 15% of high schools statewide, achieving a 92nd percentile rank. It excels in literacy and geometry, with English Language Arts proficiency at 50.6% and geometry at 51.2%, both well above state averages. In contrast, Bergman High School, part of the Bergman School District, is a smaller school with 297 students and an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 3.8:1, along with the highest per-student spending at $13,295. Bergman is a standout in mathematics, with an algebra proficiency rate of 57.4% that far exceeds the state average of 36.9% and Harrison’s 36.1%. Despite Bergman’s greater resource investment, Harrison achieves a higher overall state ranking, suggesting its larger scale and district support provide a broader academic program.
Both schools serve populations where nearly half of students are economically disadvantaged, yet they maintain very low dropout rates—Harrison at 1.3% and Bergman at an exceptional 0.3%—indicating strong student support systems. A notable finding is the "9th grade effect" at Harrison, where 9th graders taking geometry achieved a 93.9% proficiency rate compared to only 38.5% for 10th graders, suggesting an accelerated track for top performers. Both schools have shown some ranking volatility, with a dip in 2024-2025 followed by recovery in 2025-2026, pointing to possible statewide testing variations. Overall, families can choose between Harrison’s strong literacy and geometry focus or Bergman’s personalized, math-intensive environment.
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