Summary:
The city of Earle, Arkansas, is served by two public schools—Earle Elementary School (Pre-K through 6th grade) and Earle High School (7th through 12th grade)—both part of the Earle School District, which ranks near the bottom of all Arkansas districts.
Both schools face significant challenges, but they stand out for different reasons. Earle Elementary School spends a notably high $14,604 per student, yet its state test scores are among the lowest in Arkansas—for example, only 13.7% of students are proficient in math compared to the state average of 44.1%. In contrast, Earle High School has an extremely low student-teacher ratio of 3.8:1, which should allow for personalized attention, but its academic results are even worse: just 9.1% proficiency in English Language Arts and a graduation rate of only 74.1%, far below the state average of 90.1%. Both schools serve an almost entirely economically disadvantaged population, with 99-100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
The most striking takeaway is the disconnect between high spending and low outcomes. Despite spending well above the national average per student, especially at the high school ($17,680), the district’s test scores and rankings remain in the bottom 4% of the state. A small bright spot appears at Earle Elementary School, where 3rd graders achieved 26.1% proficiency in reading and math—higher than the school’s overall averages—suggesting possible early-grade strengths that are not sustained in later years. Overall, the data indicates that the district’s primary struggle is overcoming the effects of profound economic hardship, and that small class sizes and high funding alone are not enough to overcome these deep-rooted challenges.
Thank you for your feedback!