Northside High School

Northside High School in Fort Smith, AR, is a large traditional public high school serving over 2,200 students in grades 9-12 within the Fort Smith School District, a district rated as 2-star. The school serves a predominantly low-income community, with over 77% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and currently holds a 2-star academic rating, ranking in the 34th percentile statewide.

Academically, Northside consistently underperforms compared to district and state averages, with a notable exception in Biology, where 44.5% of students were proficient—above the state average. However, its performance is starkly lower than its sister school, Southside High School, located just 2.4 miles away. Southside is a 5-star school with significantly higher test scores (e.g., 51.1% proficient in English Language Arts vs. 30.2% at Northside) and a much lower free/reduced lunch rate of 48.3%. This gap highlights the challenge of concentrated poverty at Northside. Nearby high-performing schools like Haas Hall Academy Fort Smith (ranked #2 in the state) have only 3% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, while Alma High School and Van Buren High School also achieve better results with lower poverty rates.

Northside’s graduation rate has declined for four consecutive years, dropping to 87.1%—below the state average of 90.1%. Despite comparable per-student spending to other area schools, the school struggles to overcome socioeconomic barriers. Interestingly, 9th graders show a strength in Biology (75% proficient) but are the weakest cohort in English, suggesting a need for targeted literacy support. While Northside’s performance is low, it remains substantially better than alternative schools like Belle Point Alternative Center and Premier High School Of Fort Smith, which serve students with even greater challenges.