Summary:
The city of Greers Ferry, Arkansas, is served by two public schools—West Side Elementary School (Pre-K through 6th grade) and West Side High School (7th through 12th grade)—both part of the highly ranked WEST SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Cleburne), which is rated 15th out of 251 districts in Arkansas with a 5-star rating.
West Side Elementary School is the standout school in the area, consistently outperforming state averages in English, reading, math, and science despite 100% of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Its state ranking has improved dramatically, jumping from the 59th percentile to the 89th percentile in just two years. In contrast, West Side High School shows mixed results: it excels in science (54.9% proficiency vs. 44% state) but struggles in advanced math, with only 16.7% of 10th graders proficient in Geometry. The high school also has a declining graduation rate of 84.8%, below the state average of 90.1%, though its dropout rate remains very low at 0.4%.
A key takeaway is the contrast in resource efficiency: the elementary school achieves top-tier results with a student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1, while the high school has an exceptionally low ratio of 5.6:1 but does not see the same academic returns. Per-student spending is high at both schools ($16,715 at the elementary level and $17,634 at the high school), yet the elementary school’s upward trajectory suggests it is the primary driver of the district’s success. This indicates that the strong foundation built at West Side Elementary School is not being fully maintained at the secondary level, particularly in math, making it a critical area for improvement.
Thank you for your feedback!