Summary:
The Gentry School District in Arkansas serves 1,753 students across four schools: Gentry High School, Gentry Middle School, Gentry Intermediate School (grades 3-5), and Gentry Primary School (grades K-2). The district holds a 3-star rating and ranks 86th out of 251 in Arkansas, placing it slightly above the state average.
Gentry Intermediate School stands out as the district's academic leader, consistently outperforming both district and state averages in English Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, and Science. Its ranking has improved over the past three years, peaking at a 4-star rating in 2024-2025. In contrast, Gentry High School shows a split performance: it excels in Biology (47.1% proficient) and boasts a strong 92.4% graduation rate with a very low 1.4% dropout rate, but struggles significantly in math, with only 24.1% proficient in Algebra and 21.8% in Geometry. Gentry Middle School presents an interesting anomaly—while its general math proficiency lags behind the state, an extraordinary 81.5% of its students taking Algebra are proficient, suggesting a highly effective advanced math program. Gentry Primary School has no test scores available, creating a data gap for the early grades.
A key takeaway is the spending-versus-performance paradox: Gentry High School has the highest per-student spending ($13,854) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (7:1), yet struggles in math, while Gentry Intermediate School achieves the best overall results with lower spending ($12,461) and a higher ratio (15.4:1). This indicates that factors like curriculum and teaching quality are critical drivers of success. Overall, the district offers strong elementary performance and a standout high school graduation rate, but families should note the need for targeted math support at the secondary level.
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