Summary:
The WESTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Johnson) in Hartman, Arkansas, contains a single high school, Westside High School, which serves grades 6 through 12 with a total enrollment of 306 students. The district is ranked 212 out of 251 in Arkansas, earning a 1-star rating, and the school serves a student population where 99% are economically disadvantaged, as indicated by free or reduced lunch eligibility.
Westside High School shows a mixed academic profile. Its standout strength is Biology, where 45.5% of students are proficient, slightly above the state average of 42.7%. However, the school struggles significantly in other core subjects: only 15.5% of students are proficient in English Language Arts (state: 39.4%), 22.7% in Mathematics (state: 44.1%), and 13% in Science (state: 44%). Despite these low proficiency rates, the school boasts a high graduation rate of 94.5%, which is above the state average of 90.1%, and a low dropout rate of 0.7%. The school also has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.8:1 and spends $12,405 per student, indicating significant resource investment.
A key finding is the "graduation paradox," where the school successfully graduates students at a high rate despite low test scores, suggesting effective support systems or a misalignment between graduation requirements and state benchmarks. Another notable insight is a severe performance drop for 8th graders, with only 4.8% proficient in ELA and 10.7% in Math, pointing to potential transition issues. The Biology anomaly, where performance far exceeds general Science, may reflect a strong teacher or targeted curriculum. Overall, the data highlights that despite smaller classes and above-average spending, the school faces profound challenges tied to high poverty levels, which likely drive the low academic outcomes.
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