Summary:
The city of Bearden, Arkansas is home to two schools - Bearden High School and Bearden Elementary School, both of which serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Based on the available data, the schools in the Bearden School District are performing significantly below the state average on most academic measures, with both schools ranking in the bottom half of their respective categories in Arkansas.
Bearden High School ranked 217 out of 291 Arkansas high schools in 2024-2025, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, while Bearden Elementary School ranked 399 out of 495 Arkansas elementary schools, also with a 1-star rating. Both schools have consistently performed poorly over the past few years, with students scoring around 10-20 percentage points below the state average in subjects like Mathematics, Algebra, and English Language Arts. The high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, around 98% for both schools, suggest that the district is serving a population with significant economic disadvantages.
Despite the high levels of spending per student, the schools are still struggling to achieve better academic outcomes, indicating that factors beyond just funding, such as teacher quality, curriculum, and school leadership, may be contributing to the poor performance. The lack of differentiation in the quality of education within the district may also limit the options and opportunities available to students and families. Overall, the Bearden school district appears to be facing significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students, and comprehensive reforms may be necessary to address these systemic problems.
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