Schools in Rison, AR

The city of Rison, Arkansas, is served by four public schools across two districts, the Cleveland County School District and the Woodlawn School District, educating a combined total of 1,291 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

The standout school in Rison is Woodlawn Elementary School, which is the only school in the city to earn a 4-star rating and ranks in the 79th percentile statewide. It significantly outperforms state averages in Math (63.6% proficient vs. 44.1%), Science (56.6% vs. 44.0%), and English Language Arts (50.2% vs. 39.4%). In contrast, Woodlawn High School is the most challenged, ranking in the 24th percentile with a 1-star rating. This creates a "feeder school" paradox where students from a top-tier elementary school appear to struggle significantly upon transitioning to their district's high school. Meanwhile, Rison High School shows stronger test performance, particularly in Science (58% proficient) and Math (51.7% proficient), while Rison Elementary School faces a notable challenge with a sharp decline in 5th-grade performance, where only 27.1% of students were proficient in Math.

Key metrics reveal that spending does not guarantee success: Rison High School spends the most per student ($13,448) and has the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.4:1), yet it is not the top performer. Woodlawn Elementary, with the lowest spending ($10,293) and a higher ratio (13.3:1), achieves the best results. All four schools serve a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 52.11% at Woodlawn High School to 74.47% at Rison Elementary School. The Cleveland County School District (63rd percentile) outperforms the Woodlawn School District (48th percentile) at the district level, though Woodlawn High School boasts a strong 94.0% graduation rate and an exceptionally low 0.3% dropout rate.