Summary:
The city of Hardy, Arkansas, is served by three public schools within the Highland School District, a top-performing district ranked in the 92nd percentile statewide: Cherokee Elementary School (PK-4), Highland Middle School (5-8), and Highland High School (9-12).
Cherokee Elementary School stands out as the academic powerhouse, consistently outperforming both district and state averages in all core subjects and ranking in the 82nd percentile among Arkansas elementary schools. Highland Middle School is a math and science specialist, with a remarkable 100% of its 8th graders proficient in Algebra, far exceeding the state average. Highland High School is a turnaround story, jumping 13 percentile points to the 83rd percentile in its state ranking, with a strong 94.1% graduation rate and a very low dropout rate of just 0.4%.
Key metrics reveal a significant disparity in student-teacher ratios, with the high school enjoying a low 7.3:1 ratio compared to the middle school's 14.1:1. While the middle school faces economic challenges with a 71.95% free/reduced lunch rate, it still achieves above-state-average scores in nearly every subject. A notable weakness is the high school's "Geometry Gap," where only 24.5% of students are proficient, particularly for 10th graders at just 9.8%. However, the district's "Algebra Pipeline" is a major strength, with success in middle school carrying into high school, where 9th graders achieve a 44.7% proficiency rate—19.4 points above the state average.
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