Summary:
Bismarck Middle School is the sole middle school in the Bismarck School District, serving 338 students in grades 5 through 8 in a rural Arkansas community where nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Bismarck Middle School shows a clear split in academic performance. The school is a standout in Science, consistently beating the state average across all grade levels, with 50.4% of students proficient in 2025-2026 compared to the state's 44%. Its Algebra program is also exceptional: in 2024-2025, 95.7% of test-takers were proficient—over three times the state average—and while that dropped to 59.1% in 2025-2026, it still far exceeds the state's 36.9%. However, the school struggles in English Language Arts and Reading, where proficiency rates (38.4% and 38.1%) fall below state averages. Mathematics is mixed: 5th graders outperform the state (61.2% vs. 45%), but 6th, 7th, and 8th graders lag behind. The 5th-grade class is a particularly strong cohort, achieving the school's highest proficiency rates in nearly every subject.
The school's state ranking has declined from the 72nd percentile (4 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 53rd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, a concerning trend given the high poverty rate. Spending per student is $10,913, and the student-teacher ratio is 14.4:1. The Algebra data reveals an important nuance: while the overall score is high, 8th graders taking Algebra scored 59.1%, well below the state average of 73.9% for that grade, suggesting a small group of advanced students (likely 7th graders) inflates the school's overall Algebra performance. This school offers strong science and advanced math programs but faces challenges in building consistent literacy skills across all grades.
Thank you for your feedback!