Barton High School

Barton High School in Lexa, AR, is a small, rural public school serving 322 students in grades 7 through 12 within the Barton School District, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating very high economic need.

The most striking story at Barton is the dramatic contrast between its low academic test scores and its soaring graduation rate. While only 18.5% of students are proficient in math and 22% in English—placing the school in the bottom 20% of Arkansas high schools—the graduation rate has skyrocketed from 75% to an impressive 94.8% in just a few years. This is the highest rate among nearby schools like Lee High School (5.3% dropout) and KIPP Delta Collegiate High School (4.9% dropout), and it far exceeds the state average of 90.1%. The dropout rate has also plummeted from 8.3% to just 0.9%, suggesting a strong, recent focus on student support and keeping kids on track to graduate.

Academically, Barton shows a relative strength in science, with 26.7% of students proficient, outperforming Central High School (12.1%) and Marvell-Elaine High School (3.3%). However, a major challenge is the "Geometry Gap"—only 4.7% of Barton students are proficient, a problem shared across the region. Despite spending less per student ($13,969) than its neighbors, Barton achieves better graduation rates and test scores in several subjects than higher-spending peers, indicating efficient use of resources. With a student-teacher ratio of 11.6:1, the school offers a more personalized environment than the state average, though not as low as some nearby schools.