Summary:
The Mountainburg School District in Arkansas contains one middle school, Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy, which serves grades 6 through 8 with a total enrollment of 132 students.
Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy is a 2-star school (out of 5) for the 2024-2025 school year, ranking in the 39th percentile statewide. The school's ranking has been relatively stable but slightly declining, dropping from the 37th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 28th percentile in the 2025-2026 data. The school reports a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, a critical socioeconomic indicator. Despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.7:1 and per-student spending of $11,682, the school's overall proficiency rates are below the state average in every core subject for the 2025-2026 school year: English Language Arts (27.9% vs. 39.4% state), Reading (30.4% vs. 40.4%), Mathematics (33.3% vs. 44.1%), and Science (30.7% vs. 44.0%).
The most striking finding is the performance of the 7th grade class, which outperforms the state average in English Language Arts (42.4% vs. 37.7%) and Mathematics (48.4% vs. 44.2%), while 6th and 8th grades struggle significantly. This suggests a specific cohort effect that could provide a blueprint for improvement. Mathematics is the only subject showing year-over-year improvement (from 27.5% to 33.3%), while 6th grade proficiency rates are alarmingly low (e.g., 17.9% in ELA), possibly indicating a "transition shock" from elementary school. The data highlights the profound impact of poverty on educational achievement, suggesting that academic interventions alone may be insufficient without addressing broader socioeconomic challenges.
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