Summary:
The Cotter School District in Arkansas is home to a single high school, Cotter High School, which serves 324 students in grades 7 through 12 and has achieved remarkable academic success despite every student being eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Cotter High School stands out as a top-tier institution, ranking 19th out of 251 high schools in Arkansas (92nd percentile) with a 5-star rating. This is especially impressive given that 100% of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, defying the common trend linking poverty with lower performance. The school boasts an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 5.6:1, which allows for personalized attention and likely contributes to its strong outcomes. Its graduation rate of 90.5% slightly exceeds the state average, and the dropout rate is a very low 0.9%.
Academically, Cotter High School excels particularly in math and science, with 65.8% of students proficient in math (21.7 points above the state average) and 63.4% proficient in science (19.4 points above the state average). The school shows consistent year-over-year improvement, with math proficiency jumping from 53% to 65.8% and science from 46.1% to 63.4% between recent school years. The only area where the school slightly trails the state average is Algebra, with 35.3% proficiency compared to the state's 36.9%. Overall, this school is a compelling example of how effective teaching, small class sizes, and a supportive environment can help students overcome significant socioeconomic challenges to achieve outstanding results.
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