Summary:
The city of Mount Ida, Arkansas, is served by the Mount Ida School District, which includes two public schools—Bobby Barrett Elementary School (grades K-6) and Mount Ida High School (grades 7-12)—with a total enrollment of 420 students in this small, rural community.
Bobby Barrett Elementary School is a standout for its dramatic academic improvement and exceptional math performance. In the 2025-2026 school year, the elementary school’s overall Mathematics proficiency (53.4%) was 9.3 percentage points above the state average, with 6th graders achieving a remarkable 74.1% proficiency compared to 45.1% statewide. The school also showed strong year-over-year gains, jumping from below state averages in all subjects to exceeding them in Reading, Mathematics, and Science. In contrast, Mount Ida High School excels in specific areas like Geometry (29.7% proficiency vs. 26.4% state) and Biology (42.1% vs. 42.7% state), and boasts a solid 90.2% graduation rate with a very low 0.4% dropout rate. However, the high school struggles with a significant "middle school gap," where 7th graders scored drastically below state averages in English Language Arts (11.4% vs. 37.7%) and Reading (17.1% vs. 39.0%).
A key takeaway is the inverse relationship between resources and performance: Mount Ida High School spends $17,099 per student with a 4.9:1 student-teacher ratio, yet its overall test scores lag behind Bobby Barrett Elementary School, which spends $14,043 per student with an 11.1:1 ratio. This suggests the high school’s challenges are more about curriculum and instruction than funding. The district also serves a high-poverty population, with 81.19% of elementary and 63.86% of high school students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The elementary school’s rapid improvement offers a potential model for the high school, while the polarized math performance—strong at elementary but weak in 7th grade—points to a disconnect in the math curriculum that the district should address.
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