Searcy County School District

The Searcy County School District in Arkansas serves 807 students across three schools—Marshall High School (grades 7-12), Marshall Elementary School (PK-3), and Leslie Intermediate School (grades 4-6)—and is ranked 68th out of 251 districts in the state, earning a 4-star rating.

Marshall High School is the standout performer, ranked 37th in Arkansas (87th percentile) with a history of reaching 11th place. It boasts an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 5.1:1, a very low dropout rate of 0.2%, and a strong 82% graduation rate. Its Biology proficiency is a remarkable 58.7% (vs. 42.7% state), though 8th-grade scores dip significantly below state averages. In contrast, Marshall Elementary School excels in early math and science, with 57.3% of 3rd graders proficient in Math and 57.4% in Science, outperforming state averages by over 10 percentage points. Leslie Intermediate School provides consistent, above-average performance across all subjects, with 50% proficiency in Math and 51.2% in Science, both exceeding state norms.

A key takeaway is the district's ability to achieve strong results despite 98-99% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. However, a "leaky pipeline" in math is evident: early success at Marshall Elementary and Leslie Intermediate erodes by 6th grade (36% proficiency vs. 45.1% state) and continues to decline at the high school (35.5% overall Math proficiency). Resource allocation also varies sharply—Marshall Elementary spends the most per student ($17,395) but has the highest student-teacher ratio (13.6:1), while Marshall High School spends the least ($14,941) but invests in the smallest class sizes, suggesting different strategic priorities across the district.