Dewitt High School

Dewitt High School is a small public high school in Dewitt, Arkansas, serving 364 students in grades 9 through 12, with over 52% of students from low-income families. The school has experienced a dramatic decline in academic performance, dropping from a 4-star rating (79th percentile) in 2022-2023 to a 2-star rating (39th percentile) in the most recent data, a sharp reversal after several years of strong results.

Compared to nearby Stuttgart High School, Dewitt shows a mixed picture. Dewitt outperforms Stuttgart in Biology (51% proficiency vs. 40.2%) and Algebra (27.2% vs. 8.5%), but lags behind in English Language Arts (25.6% vs. 35.9%) and Reading (28.9% vs. 39.1%). Geometry is a notable weakness, with only 15.1% proficiency, well below the state average of 26.4% and Stuttgart's 20.7%. Despite spending significantly more per student ($15,741 vs. $11,516) and having an exceptionally low student-to-teacher ratio of 6.3:1 (compared to Stuttgart's 12.2:1), Dewitt's overall test scores are lower, suggesting that smaller classes and higher spending have not yet translated into academic gains.

On a positive note, Dewitt has made impressive strides in student retention. The graduation rate has risen from 80.0% in 2020-2021 to 93.1% in 2024-2025, now exceeding the state average of 90.1%, while the dropout rate has dropped from 4.4% to just 0.5%. This indicates the school is successfully keeping students on track to graduate, even as academic proficiency on state tests has declined. The Dewitt School District is ranked 135th out of 251 districts in Arkansas (46th percentile). The primary challenge for Dewitt is to diagnose the cause of its rapid academic decline and improve instruction in core subjects like English, Reading, and Geometry to match its success in keeping students in school.