The Academies At Newport High School

The Academies At Newport High School is a public high school in Newport, AR, serving grades 8 through 12 with approximately 300 students, and it is part of the Newport School District. While the school has shown some positive momentum—its graduation rate has climbed to 90.3%, slightly above the state average—academic proficiency remains a significant concern, with the school ranking in the bottom 15th percentile of Arkansas high schools.

The most striking challenge is in Algebra, where only 1.9% of students are proficient, a staggering 35 percentage points below the state average. This is the lowest rate among nearby schools; for comparison, Tuckerman High School, just 10 miles away, achieves a 35.3% proficiency rate in Algebra. However, the school shows a puzzling split in math scores: 33.8% of 8th graders are proficient in general Mathematics, suggesting students struggle with the transition to advanced concepts. In English Language Arts, only 25.4% of students are proficient, compared to 65.9% at Tuckerman. The dropout rate of 3.3% is also higher than at Bradford High School (0.5%) and Cedar Ridge High School (1.2%), indicating retention issues.

On a positive note, the school’s Science proficiency (30.8%) actually exceeds the district average, and the graduation rate has improved dramatically from 76% three years ago. The stark contrast with Tuckerman—a 5-star school with double or triple the proficiency rates—suggests that Newport’s challenges are tied to instructional strategies and school culture rather than demographics alone. With per-student spending of $11,371, the school is not drastically underfunded compared to peers, pointing to a need for more effective resource allocation. This data offers a clear roadmap for improvement, showing that significant gains are possible with focused effort.