Summary:
The three public schools in Paris, Arkansas—Paris Elementary School (PK-4), Paris Middle School (5-8), and Paris High School (9-12)—serve a small, high-poverty community where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, yet their academic outcomes vary dramatically.
Paris Middle School is the district's standout performer, showing a consistent upward trend in its state ranking from the 47th to the 69th percentile over three years. It excels in advanced mathematics, with an Algebra proficiency rate of 72.7% that far exceeds the state average of 36.9%, and it also outperforms the state in 7th-grade English and math. In contrast, Paris High School is the most challenged, having dropped from a 4-star rating to a 2-star rating. Its math scores are particularly weak—only 5.8% of students are proficient in Algebra and 23.2% in Geometry, compared to state averages of 36.9% and 26.4%. Paris Elementary School is a solid middle performer, maintaining a consistent 3-star rating and significantly outperforming the state in Mathematics (55.4% vs. 44.1% proficient), though its Science scores lag slightly.
Key metrics reveal a puzzling disconnect: Paris High School has the highest per-student spending ($15,046) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (7.7:1) in the district, yet it produces the worst academic results. This suggests resources are not being used effectively. Meanwhile, Paris Middle School proves that poverty does not predetermine failure, achieving above-state averages in several subjects. A bright spot at the high school is Biology, where 56.9% of students are proficient, well above the state average of 42.7%. The Paris School District is ranked 113th out of 251 in Arkansas, with a strong graduation rate of 92.5% and a very low dropout rate of 0.6%.
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