Summary:
The Dumas School District in Arkansas contains a single high school, Dumas High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 and faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with 100% of its 266 students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Dumas High School presents a stark paradox: it spends a notably high $16,746 per student and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.1 to 1, yet its academic performance is critically low, ranking in the bottom 1st percentile in the state (249th out of 251 schools). Proficiency rates are far below state averages across all subjects, with the largest gaps in Biology (10.9% proficient vs. 42.7% statewide) and Algebra (7.3% vs. 36.9%). The school's state ranking has also been declining, dropping from the 20th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 7th percentile in 2025-2026, indicating a worsening trajectory relative to other Arkansas schools.
Despite these academic struggles, Dumas High School reports a relatively high graduation rate of 93.9% (from 2021-2022) and a dropout rate of 2.9% (2023-2024). This disconnect between high graduation rates and extremely low test scores raises important questions about academic standards and support systems. Reading is the school's strongest subject at 19.5% proficiency, while STEM subjects show the most severe deficits. The data strongly suggests that simply increasing funding is not enough; a comprehensive review of instructional strategies and student support is needed to address the underlying challenges facing this high-poverty school.
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