Dumas High School

Dumas High School in Dumas, Arkansas, is a small, rural school serving 266 students in grades 9 through 12, where 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a community with high economic need.

Academically, Dumas High School faces significant challenges, with proficiency rates on state assessments that are dramatically lower than those at the nearby McGehee High School, which serves a similarly disadvantaged population. For example, only 11.9% of Dumas students are proficient in English Language Arts compared to 25.9% at McGehee, and just 7.3% are proficient in Algebra versus 20.5% at McGehee. This gap persists despite Dumas spending more per student ($16,746) than McGehee ($15,765) and having a low student-to-teacher ratio of 9.1 to 1. The school’s state ranking has been on a downward trend, currently placing it in the 7th percentile, while McGehee ranks in the 27th percentile. A notable concern is the contrast between Dumas’s high graduation rate (93.9%) and its low test scores, suggesting that many students may be earning diplomas without being academically prepared for college or careers.

Despite these struggles, the performance of McGehee High School shows that high poverty does not have to dictate low achievement. The Dumas School District ranks near the bottom of all Arkansas districts, and the school’s inconsistent test scores—such as a spike in Biology proficiency in 2024-2025 followed by a drop—point to a need for more effective, sustained instructional strategies. For parents, this means that while Dumas High School offers a supportive environment with small class sizes, the academic outcomes raise serious questions about whether the school is effectively preparing students for life after graduation.