Summary:
The city of Horatio, Arkansas, is served by the Horatio School District, which includes two public schools: Horatio High School (grades 7-12) and Horatio Elementary School (grades K-6), with a combined enrollment of 648 students and a high rate of economic disadvantage, as over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The standout school in the district is Horatio Elementary School, which excels in Mathematics, with 57.4% of students proficient—significantly above the state average of 44.1%. This strength is particularly notable in 3rd and 4th grades, where proficiency rates reach 66.6% and 64.4%, respectively. In contrast, Horatio High School struggles in core academics, with math proficiency at 37.6% and English Language Arts at 36.4%, both below state averages. However, the high school boasts a strong graduation rate of 90.1% and an exceptionally low dropout rate of 0.6%, supported by a very low student-teacher ratio of 6.5:1 and higher per-student spending ($13,942 vs. $12,484 at the elementary school).
A key takeaway is the disconnect between the two schools: the elementary school builds a strong math foundation that is not sustained at the high school level, where math proficiency drops sharply. Additionally, the high school shows a specific weakness in Geometry (19.6% proficient vs. 26.4% statewide), despite performing better in Algebra (43.1% proficient). Year-over-year test scores are volatile, likely due to the new ATLAS assessment, making trends unclear. Overall, the district ranks in the 49th percentile statewide, with the elementary school as a bright spot in math and the high school excelling in student retention and support.
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