Foreman High School

Foreman High School is a small, rural public school in Foreman, AR, serving 214 students in grades 7 through 12 within the Foreman School District. With a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 6.4:1 and a per-student spending of $15,242, the school offers a highly personalized learning environment. Despite serving a community where 74.77% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, Foreman consistently achieves a graduation rate above 89%, outperforming the state average and showing more stability than nearby Horatio High School, which last reported a rate of 83.6%.

Foreman stands out for its exceptional performance in science, with a 51.4% proficiency rate that far exceeds the state average of 44% and is dramatically higher than Horatio’s 36.4%. The school also boasts a standout 8th-grade cohort, which achieved proficiency rates of 50% in ELA, 55.6% in reading, and 48.1% in math—well above state averages. However, a significant challenge emerges in the transition to 9th grade, where proficiency in ELA drops from 50% to just 8.8%, and reading falls from 55.6% to 17.6%. This "9th-grade slump" is the school’s most critical area for improvement and likely impacts its overall state ranking, which has fluctuated between the 23rd and 67th percentiles due to its small student population.

Compared to Ashdown High School, Foreman invests more per student ($15,242 vs. $13,464) and shows stronger science proficiency. While Horatio has a higher overall state ranking (60th percentile vs. Foreman’s 41st), Foreman outperforms it in graduation rate, science, and has a lower rate of economic disadvantage. The school’s math program is a mixed bag: general math proficiency (37.7%) lags behind the state average (44.1%), but students in advanced courses like geometry (22.5%) perform well above Ashdown (10.1%). Overall, Foreman is a well-funded school that excels at graduating students and delivering strong science education, but it must address the 9th-grade transition to unlock its full potential.