Summary:
The Fordyce School District is home to a single high school, Fordyce High School, which serves 321 students in grades 7 through 12 in Fordyce, Arkansas.
Fordyce High School presents a mixed picture for parents. On the positive side, the school boasts a strong graduation rate of 92.8%, which exceeds the state average of 90.1%, and a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.4:1, suggesting students can receive more individualized attention. However, academic proficiency on state tests is a significant concern, with the school consistently ranking in the bottom 20% of Arkansas high schools and earning a 1-star rating. For example, only 9.9% of students are proficient in Geometry and 18.1% in Algebra, compared to state averages of 26.4% and 36.9%, respectively. The school also serves a high-poverty population, with 73.83% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and spends $13,434 per student.
Despite the low overall scores, there are some encouraging trends. Test scores saw dramatic year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with Mathematics proficiency jumping from 11.9% to 22.4% and Science from 17.4% to 29.5%. An interesting anomaly is that 61.6% of 8th graders taking the Algebra exam were proficient, compared to just 4.8% of 9th graders, indicating the school effectively accelerates its top math students. However, the disconnect between high graduation rates and low test scores suggests the path to graduation may not be strongly tied to meeting grade-level academic standards, which is a key consideration for families focused on college readiness.
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