Summary
Dermott High School is a small, rural school in Dermott, Arkansas, serving 139 students in grades 7 through 12, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it is part of the Dermott School District.
This school has experienced a dramatic academic turnaround, jumping from the 16th percentile in state rankings to the 45th percentile in just one year, earning a 2-star rating after years of lower performance. A key strength is its exceptional performance in English Language Arts and Reading, where proficiency rates of 35.7% and 40% now surpass nearby Lakeside High School (25.4% and 28.5%) and McGehee High School (25.9% and 31.9%). This success is supported by an extremely low student-teacher ratio of 4.8:1—roughly half that of its neighbors—and higher per-student spending of $19,548, suggesting a highly personalized learning environment. However, the school still faces significant challenges in math and science, with proficiency rates in Algebra (9.6%), Geometry (9.6%), and Biology (11.8%) remaining critically low.
Notably, 9th graders at Dermott High achieved standout results, with 45.4% proficiency in ELA and 50% in Reading—well above state averages—indicating that recent improvement efforts may be especially effective with younger students. The graduation rate has been stable near the state average, though the dropout rate has been volatile, swinging from 8.3% to 2.8% recently due to the small enrollment. In contrast, the nearby Arkansas Consolidated High School-Dermott, an alternative school for the Division of Youth Services, has a 0% reading proficiency and a higher dropout rate, highlighting the different challenges it faces. Overall, Dermott High is a school in transformation, leveraging its resources to build on literacy gains while working to close the gap in STEM subjects.
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