Summary:
The Warren School District in Warren, Arkansas, serves 1,440 students across four schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—and is ranked 183rd out of 251 districts in the state, with a 1-star rating and a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Warren Middle School stands out as the district's strongest performer, earning a 2-star rating and ranking in the 49th percentile among Arkansas middle schools. It is the only school in the district where test scores in English Language Arts, Reading, and Mathematics meet or exceed state averages, with a Mathematics proficiency rate of 47% surpassing the state average of 44.1%. In contrast, Warren High School is the weakest performer, with a 1-star rating and proficiency rates in Geometry (8.8%) and Biology (11.8%) drastically below state averages. Thomas C Brunson Elementary School is a relative bright spot, consistently earning a 2-star rating and performing close to state averages in Reading (37.4% vs. 40.4%) and Mathematics (42.9% vs. 44.1%), while Warren Elementary School struggles with low 3rd-grade scores, such as 25.5% in ELA versus the state average of 42.9%.
A key finding is the "middle school paradox": Warren Middle School excels academically but feeds into Warren High School, which has significantly lower test scores, suggesting a drop-off in achievement between 8th and 9th grade. Additionally, there is an inverse relationship between spending and performance—Warren High School spends the most per student ($17,289) but has the lowest scores, while Warren Middle School spends the least ($8,873) and achieves the highest. Despite low test scores, Warren High School maintains a graduation rate of 91.5%, above the state average of 90.1%, indicating it effectively keeps students on track to graduate even if they are not meeting state proficiency standards.
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