Star City High School

Star City High School in Star City, AR, is a public high school serving 459 students in grades 9-12 within the Star City School District, which is ranked 189th out of 251 districts in the state and holds a 1-star rating. The school has a high poverty rate, with 73.8% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and its academic performance is volatile and often below state averages, particularly in mathematics.

Compared to nearby schools like Rison High School and Woodlawn High School, Star City consistently underperforms in core subjects. For the 2025-2026 school year, Star City’s combined math proficiency (Algebra and Geometry) is just 27.6%, far below Rison’s 61.6% and Woodlawn’s 45.5%, and well under the state average of 44.1%. A critical weakness is Geometry, where only 2.2% of Star City students are proficient, compared to 35.7% at Rison and 27.3% at Woodlawn. Science proficiency is also low at 26.3%, versus Rison’s 41.3% and the state average of 42.7%. The school’s student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1 is higher than Rison’s 9.4:1 and Woodlawn’s 10.8:1, suggesting less individualized attention.

Despite these academic struggles, Star City boasts a high graduation rate of 94.9% for 2024-2025, above the state average of 90.1% and comparable to its peers. This contrast between high graduation rates and low proficiency rates raises concerns about whether students are truly prepared for college or careers. The school’s performance is inconsistent, with state rankings ranging from 124th to 235th over the past decade, and per-student spending ($12,564) is similar to higher-performing neighbors, indicating that the issue is likely about instructional quality and curriculum alignment rather than funding.