Schools in Alma, AR

The Alma School District in Alma, Arkansas, serves approximately 3,092 students across four public schools—one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools—and is a highly ranked district sitting in the 88th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating.

Alma High School is the district’s standout academic leader, ranked 25th out of 293 high schools in Arkansas (91st percentile) with a 5-star rating. It outperforms state averages in every subject, especially Biology (50.2% proficient vs. 42.7% state) and Geometry (40.2% vs. 26.4% state), and boasts a very low dropout rate of 0.1% and a graduation rate of 91.0%. Alma Middle School is a math powerhouse, with 91% of its 8th graders proficient in Algebra—far above the state average of 73.9%—and an overall math proficiency of 53.3% (state: 44.1%). Alma Intermediate School is the most improved school, jumping from a 2-star to a 3-star rating in two years, and now surpasses state averages in English Language Arts (43% vs. 39.4%), Reading (42.9% vs. 40.4%), and Mathematics (54% vs. 44.1%). Alma Primary School serves grades PK-2 and feeds into the Intermediate School, with a strong 3rd grade cohort at the Intermediate School outperforming the state by 7-13 percentage points in every subject, suggesting excellent early preparation.

A key finding is the inverse resource allocation: the High School has the lowest economic disadvantage (41.9% free/reduced lunch), the lowest student-teacher ratio (8.1:1), and the highest spending per student ($12,932), while the Primary and Intermediate schools have higher economic need (over 50%), higher student-teacher ratios (17.8:1 and 19.2:1), and lower spending ($10,089 at Intermediate). This pattern contrasts with research emphasizing early childhood investment. Additionally, the district shows a strong advanced math pipeline, with 91% of 8th graders proficient in Algebra at the Middle School and 91.7% of 9th graders proficient in Geometry at the High School, enabling students to take higher-level math before graduation. Overall, the district is on an upward trajectory, with consistent year-over-year improvement across most schools.