Summary:
In Tuckerman, Arkansas, there is one middle school, Swifton Middle School, serving grades 5 through 7 with 189 students as part of the highly-rated Jackson County School District.
Swifton Middle School stands out for its remarkable academic turnaround and strong performance despite serving a predominantly low-income population, with 74% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The school has improved dramatically, jumping from a 2-star rating (33rd percentile) in 2023-2024 to a 4-star rating (71st percentile) in 2025-2026, moving up 131 places in state rankings. Mathematics is a clear strength, with 67.7% of all students proficient compared to the state average of 44.1%, and 5th graders achieving an exceptional 85.5% proficiency rate—nearly double the state average. The school also outperforms state averages in English Language Arts (50.3% vs. 39.4%) and Reading (49.7% vs. 40.4%).
However, the data reveals areas needing attention. Science proficiency (43.9%) is essentially tied with the state average (44.0%), and 6th-grade science proficiency (29.3%) falls significantly below the state average (42.5%). A notable "6th grade slump" appears, with 5th graders consistently outperforming 6th graders across all subjects—for example, 85.5% math proficiency in 5th grade versus 56.9% in 6th grade. Despite these challenges, the school shows consistent year-over-year improvement across all subjects, with math proficiency rising from 53.9% to 67.7% and ELA from 35.4% to 50.3% between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. With a low student-teacher ratio of 11.2:1 and per-student spending of $12,481, Swifton Middle School demonstrates that effective teaching and support systems can help students succeed despite economic challenges.
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