Best Public Schools in Shirley, AR

The city of Shirley, Arkansas is home to two schools - Shirley Elementary School and Shirley High School, both of which serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Based on the available data, the schools in the Shirley School District appear to be consistently underperforming compared to the state average on academic measures.

Both Shirley Elementary School and Shirley High School have low statewide rankings, with Shirley Elementary ranked between 351-384 out of 492-497 Arkansas elementary schools and Shirley High School ranked between 153-219 out of 291-305 Arkansas high schools. The schools also have low proficiency rates on ATLAS/English Language Arts, ATLAS/Reading, ATLAS/Mathematics, and ATLAS/Science assessments, with most grades performing 10-20 percentage points below the state average. Despite the low academic performance, the schools have relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratios, suggesting that factors other than funding and resources may be contributing to the poor outcomes.

Another notable finding is the extremely high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients at both schools, indicating a high-poverty student population. The consistently low academic performance and lack of improvement over time suggest that the Shirley School District may need to re-evaluate its strategies and seek additional support to better serve the needs of its community.