Perryville School District

The Perryville School District is a small, unified district in Arkansas serving 891 students across just two schools: Perryville Elementary School (grades K-6) and Perryville High School (grades 7-12). The district ranks 129th out of 251 in the state, earning a 2-star rating, and serves a student body where a majority come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Perryville High School stands out as the district's academic leader, particularly in mathematics. Its overall math proficiency rate of 46.9% exceeds the state average, and its Algebra proficiency of 46.2% is nearly 10 points higher than the state norm. The high school also boasts a strong 92.5% graduation rate and a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 7.3:1, supported by higher per-student spending ($13,202). In contrast, Perryville Elementary School faces significant challenges, especially in the upper grades. While 3rd graders outperform state averages in reading and science, performance drops sharply by 4th grade, where math proficiency plummets to just 22.7%—a staggering 24.3 points below the state average. The elementary school also operates with a higher student-teacher ratio (14.8:1) and lower per-student funding ($10,109).

A key takeaway is the apparent "middle school gap" caused by the lack of a dedicated middle school, with academic struggles concentrated in grades 4-6 at the elementary level. The high school also shows a notable weakness in Geometry (15.5% proficiency vs. 26.4% statewide), despite its strength in Algebra. Overall, the district's ranking has been stable but slightly declining over the past three years, with the elementary school dropping from the 58th to the 39th percentile. This suggests that while the high school provides a strong foundation for older students, the elementary school needs targeted support to reverse the downward trend in upper elementary grades.