Summary:
The Cutter Morning Star School District is a small, single-high-school district in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where Cutter-Morning Star High School serves 331 students in grades 7 through 12 with a favorable 10.6:1 student-teacher ratio and a high per-student spending of $15,067.
As the district's only high school, the standout story is one of dramatic improvement paired with persistent challenges. The school has shown remarkable year-over-year growth, with proficiency rates jumping by over 11 points in every core subject from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, and its graduation rate of 90.3% slightly exceeds the state average of 90.1%. However, mathematics remains a critical weakness, with overall proficiency at 28% compared to the state's 44.1%, and Geometry proficiency at just 13.1%—roughly half the state average. The most extreme finding is the "Algebra Cliff": 8th graders achieve 54.6% proficiency in Algebra, but 9th graders taking the subject plummet to just 10.3% proficiency, suggesting a major issue with math placement and readiness for high school-level coursework.
An intriguing bright spot is the "8th Grade Bump," where 8th graders outperform state averages in Reading (42.9% vs. 38.4%), ELA (41.8% vs. 37.2%), and Science (44.6% vs. 42.9%), indicating that the 8th-grade teaching staff or curriculum is exceptionally effective. Despite high spending and small class sizes, the school still trails state averages in every subject, likely due to the high rate of economic disadvantage (66.16% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch). The school's state ranking has improved from a 1-star rating (24th percentile) in 2023-2024 to a 2-star rating (32nd percentile) in 2025-2026, signaling that recent interventions are working, but targeted support in math and for 9th graders is urgently needed to sustain this momentum.
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