Summary:
The McGehee School District is home to a single middle school, Conner Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 in McGehee, Arkansas, with a total enrollment of 248 students. The school stands out for its exceptional performance in Algebra, where 62.6% of 8th graders taking the exam were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—far exceeding the district average of 27.6% and the state average of 36.9%. However, this success contrasts sharply with the school's overall ranking in the bottom quartile of Arkansas middle schools, consistently earning a 1-star rating and ranking in the 22nd to 27th percentile over the past three years.
Key metrics reveal significant challenges in core subjects. In the 2025-2026 school year, proficiency rates were 23.7% in English Language Arts, 26.5% in Reading, 34.7% in Mathematics, and 29.8% in Science—all below district and state averages. The school serves a student body with 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility, indicating high socioeconomic need, but it invests heavily in resources with $12,092 spent per student and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1. A concerning trend is the decline in proficiency as students progress through grades; for example, Math proficiency drops from 44.5% in 6th grade to just 19.1% in 8th grade, suggesting the curriculum may struggle to build on foundational skills.
Interesting findings include the "Algebra paradox," where the school excels in advanced math while standard 8th-grade Math proficiency is only 19.1%, likely because top students are accelerated into Algebra. Additionally, while raw test scores have slightly improved year-over-year, the school's ranking has slipped from the 27th to the 22nd percentile, indicating that other schools are improving faster. For parents, Conner Middle School offers strong advanced math opportunities and small class sizes, but faces significant hurdles in raising overall academic achievement amid high poverty levels.
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