Summary:
The city of Lake City, Arkansas, is served by two public schools within the Riverside School District, which holds a mid-range 3-star rating and ranks 125th out of 251 districts in the state. Riverside High School serves grades 7-12 with 342 students, while Riverside West Elementary School serves grades PK-6 with 300 students, creating a nearly even split in enrollment across the two campuses.
Riverside West Elementary School stands out as the district's academic leader, consistently earning 3-star or 4-star ratings over the past three years. In the 2025-2026 school year, it outperformed the high school in English Language Arts (49.7% vs. 40.5% proficient) and Science (53.2% vs. 36.8% proficient), and it scored at or above district averages in nearly every subject. However, Riverside High School shows a remarkable strength in Biology, with 62.9% of students proficient—20 points above the state average—and boasts a strong 92.8% graduation rate with a dropout rate of just 0.2%. The high school also experienced a dramatic "V-shaped" recovery, jumping from the 38th percentile (2 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 75th percentile (4 stars) in 2025-2026.
A key paradox emerges in resource allocation: Riverside High School spends $1,167 more per student ($11,349 vs. $10,182) and has a much lower student-teacher ratio (8.6:1 vs. 13.8:1) than the elementary school, yet its overall test scores are lower. This suggests challenges beyond resources, particularly a "middle school slump" where 8th-grade proficiency drops sharply from 7th grade—for example, ELA falls from 49% to 29.6% and Math from 35.9% to 18.3%. Mathematics is a district-wide weakness, with both schools scoring nearly 17 percentage points below the state average of 44.1% proficient. Both schools serve significant low-income populations, with 55% of elementary and 49.42% of high school students receiving free or reduced lunch.
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