Summary:
The Prescott School District in Arkansas serves approximately 901 students across three schools: Prescott Elementary School (PK-4), Prescott Junior High School (5-8), and Prescott High School (9-12). The district is ranked 230th out of 251 districts in Arkansas, and a defining characteristic is that 100% of students across all schools are eligible for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty community.
Among the three schools, Prescott Elementary School stands out as the relative academic outperformer, having achieved a 2-star rating in the 2024-2025 school year with math proficiency (41.9%) that exceeded the state average. In contrast, Prescott Junior High School represents the area of greatest concern, with its state ranking dropping to the 5th percentile and a 0-star rating, including alarmingly low 8th-grade English proficiency of just 6.3%. Meanwhile, Prescott High School excels in student persistence, boasting a graduation rate of 92.6%—above the state average—and a very low dropout rate of 1.3%, despite low test scores.
A key takeaway is the severe "middle school slump," where academic performance drops dramatically between elementary and junior high, particularly in English Language Arts. There is also a spending paradox: the junior high, with the lowest performance, receives the least per-student funding ($11,018), while the high school, with the highest graduation rate, receives the most ($13,545) and has the smallest class sizes (6.2:1 student-teacher ratio). This suggests that targeted investment in smaller classes and resources at the high school level may be helping keep students on track to graduate, even as the district faces significant academic challenges overall.
Thank you for your feedback!