Marmaduke School District

The Marmaduke School District in Arkansas is a small, two-school district serving 648 students, with Marmaduke Elementary School (Pre-K through 6th grade) and Marmaduke High School (7th through 12th grade), both serving a significant population of economically disadvantaged students.

This district presents a clear "tale of two schools." Marmaduke Elementary School is the standout, consistently outperforming the state average in Mathematics and Science and earning a solid 3-star rating. In contrast, Marmaduke High School is struggling significantly, having dropped from a 3-star to a 1-star rating in just two years. The most striking finding is a "resource paradox": the high school spends $508 more per student and has a much smaller student-to-teacher ratio (4.4:1) compared to the elementary school (16.9:1), yet its academic performance is far worse. The high school underperforms the state in all core subjects, with critically low proficiency in Algebra (17.4%) and Geometry (17.9%).

A key area of concern is the 9th grade, where proficiency rates are alarmingly low—just 5.2% in Algebra and 22.2% in both ELA and Reading—suggesting a major transition problem. Meanwhile, the elementary school shows a strong math foundation, with 6th-grade math proficiency at 65.4%, far above the state average. The district's overall 2-star rating is likely dragged down by the high school's decline. For parents, this means the elementary school offers a competitive education, but the high school faces serious challenges that require immediate attention, despite having ample resources.