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Cutter-Morning Star High School

Public Grades 7-12
201st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 291 Arkansas High Schools
Better than 31% of Arkansas high schools
Summary

Cutter-Morning Star High School is a public high school located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, serving grades 7-12 with a total enrollment of 316 students. The school is part of the Cutter-Morning Star School District, which is ranked 172 out of 250 districts in Arkansas and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cutter-Morning Star High School consistently underperforms compared to the state average and nearby schools in academic assessments. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (25%), Reading (28.4%), and Mathematics (16.8%) were significantly lower than the state averages (34.7%, 35.3%, and 38.7%, respectively). The school's ACT performance is also below state averages, with only 10.2% of 11th-grade students scoring proficient or better in Science and 20.4% in Reading in 2021-2022. Additionally, the school does not provide graduation rate data, which is a concerning gap in the information available. Cutter-Morning Star High School has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 66.16% to 71.56% over the past three school years, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby schools, Cutter-Morning Star High School consistently underperforms. For example, Lakeside High School, located just 2.12 miles away, has significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts (48.7%), Reading (46.7%), and Mathematics (19.4%) in 2024-2025. The school's spending per student of $9,365 in 2018-2019 is lower than the state average, which may contribute to the academic challenges. However, nearby schools like Malvern High School ($12,553) and Mountain Pine High School ($12,298) have higher per-student spending, yet still struggle academically, suggesting that the challenges faced by Cutter-Morning Star High School are not unique to the school, but rather reflect broader systemic issues within the region's education system.

331
Students ?
10.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,067
Per pupil spending ?
66.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2801 Spring Street
       Hot Springs, AR  71901

(501) 262-2414

District: Cutter Morning Star School District


Feeder schools for Cutter-Morning Star High School:

Elementary:    Cutter-Morning Star Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
72.8%
Hispanic:
14.8%
Two or more races:
6.3%
more
 See top rated Arkansas high schools

 Compare Cutter-Morning Star High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 22nd percentile in 2023 → 31st in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 31st (2025) from a 22nd-percentile low (2023)
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Arkansas average (23% vs 36% meeting standards)
!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the Arkansas average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school23%
District avg29%
Arkansas avg36%
Middle school
251st of 324
Arkansas public middle schools ?
Bottom 23%▼ down 31 pts since 2015
From top 47% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
201st of 291
Arkansas public high schools ?
Bottom 31%▼ down 36 pts since 2015
From top 33% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Arkansas High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
172nd of 250Cutter Morning Star School District among Arkansas districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArkansas percentileRating
202526.4251 of 32422.5%★☆☆☆☆
202439.0215 of 33535.8%★★☆☆☆
202325.6266 of 33019.4%★☆☆☆☆
202219.8274 of 31813.8%★☆☆☆☆
202130.8250 of 33024.2%★☆☆☆☆
201922.2267 of 31916.3%★☆☆☆☆
201837.6217 of 31831.8%★★☆☆☆
201744.6189 of 31540.0%★★☆☆☆
201645.5181 of 31242.0%★★☆☆☆
201549.4128 of 27553.5%★★★☆☆
201436.1208 of 28025.7%★☆☆☆☆
201339.0197 of 27829.1%★☆☆☆☆
201249.6163 of 26538.5%★★☆☆☆
201137.8191 of 26427.7%★☆☆☆☆
201049.7146 of 25442.5%★★☆☆☆
200946.3154 of 24035.8%★★☆☆☆
200850.2132 of 22340.8%★★☆☆☆
200753.5113 of 22549.8%★★★☆☆
200620.8181 of 20612.1%★☆☆☆☆
200525.3172 of 20817.3%★☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArkansas percentileRating
202535.6201 of 29130.9%★★☆☆☆
202430.2233 of 30523.6%★☆☆☆☆
202328.7231 of 29521.7%★☆☆☆☆
202231.4218 of 28222.7%★☆☆☆☆
202129.5225 of 29022.4%★☆☆☆☆
201949.5154 of 28245.4%★★☆☆☆
201851.0131 of 26350.2%★★★☆☆
201751.7128 of 26451.5%★★★☆☆
201647.9140 of 26948.0%★★☆☆☆
201552.389 of 26766.7%★★★☆☆
201444.9163 of 26839.2%★★☆☆☆
201345.1158 of 27141.7%★★☆☆☆
201246.8152 of 26642.9%★★☆☆☆
201152.1124 of 26653.4%★★★☆☆
201039.4177 of 26232.4%★★☆☆☆
200932.7196 of 26124.9%★☆☆☆☆
200814.2227 of 25611.3%★☆☆☆☆
20076.9243 of 2585.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20065.4223 of 2323.9%☆☆☆☆☆
By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?
Biology35%-3 vs state
Reading28%-7 vs state
Science27%-11 vs state
English Language Arts25%-10 vs state
Mathematics17%-22 vs state
Algebra11%-20 vs state
Geometry2%-20 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Cutter-Morning Star High School

Cutter-Morning Star High School ranks 201st of 291 Arkansas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Cutter-Morning Star High School are 73% White, 15% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Cutter-Morning Star High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cutter-Morning Star Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 331 students attended Cutter-Morning Star High School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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