Summary:
The Decatur School District in Arkansas operates three schools: Decatur Northside Elementary, Decatur High School, and Decatur Middle School. The district serves a predominantly low-income student population, with all three schools having 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among the three schools, Decatur High School stands out as the highest-ranked, placed 192 out of 291 Arkansas high schools for the 2024-2025 school year. This school also has the lowest student-teacher ratio at 6.1, suggesting more individualized attention for students. However, the district and its individual schools consistently perform below the state averages in test scores across all grades and subjects, indicating a need for comprehensive educational strategies and resource allocation to address the underlying factors contributing to the low performance.
The differences in per-student spending and student-teacher ratios among the schools suggest that the district may not be allocating resources evenly or effectively. Decatur High School spends the most per student at $13,540, followed by Decatur Northside Elementary at $11,185, and Decatur Middle School at $9,606. Addressing these disparities and the overall academic challenges faced by the district will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improve educational outcomes for the students.
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