Trumann School District

The Trumann School District in Arkansas is a small, unified district serving approximately 1,410 students across three schools: Trumann Elementary School (grades K-3), Trumann Middle School (grades 4-7), and Trumann High School (grades 8-12), with every student eligible for free or reduced lunch, indicating very high economic need.

Among the three schools, Trumann High School stands out as the most improved, jumping from the 16th to the 38th percentile in state ranking and earning a 2-star rating. It also has the highest per-student spending ($14,163) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.1:1), which likely contributes to its 87.3% graduation rate. In contrast, Trumann Middle School is a major concern, as its state ranking has dropped from the 29th to the 8th percentile, earning a 0-star rating, driven largely by a decline in math proficiency (from 19.6% to 16.5% in one year). Trumann Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 13th percentile with the lowest spending ($11,184 per student) and highest student-teacher ratio (16.6:1), showing little improvement.

District-wide, proficiency rates are far below state averages: only 24.6% of students are proficient in English Language Arts (state 39.4%), 17.5% in math (state 44.1%), and 24.3% in science (state 44.0%). A critical issue is the "Algebra gap," with just 18.5% of high school students proficient in Algebra and 11.7% in Geometry, severely limiting future academic and career options. While the district showed some year-over-year improvement, such as a jump in high school ELA proficiency from 18.8% to 27.4%, the gains are fragile and the gap to state averages remains large, especially given the middle school's ongoing decline.