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Northside High School

Q: Is Northside High School a good school?

Northside High School ranks 198 th of 291 Arkansas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

198^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 291 Arkansas High Schools

Better than 32% of Arkansas high schools

Summary

Northside High School is a public high school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, serving 2,253 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Fort Smith School District, which is ranked 149 out of 250 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northside High School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 22.5% of Northside students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32.4% in the district and 34.7% statewide. The school's performance in mathematics and science is also significantly below the district and state averages. Additionally, Northside High School has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 73.74% to 76.53% over the past three school years, indicating a predominantly low-income student population.

Interestingly, Southside High School, another Fort Smith School District high school, consistently outperforms Northside High School in academic metrics, with higher proficiency rates in all subjects and grade levels. Southside High School also has a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (47.16%) and a lower student-teacher ratio (10.2), suggesting that the socioeconomic and resource differences between the two schools may be contributing factors to the academic performance gap. Additionally, Northside High School is in close proximity to two alternative schools, Belle Point Alternative Center and Premier High School of Fort Smith, both of which serve a high-needs student population and have significantly lower academic performance compared to Northside High School and the state averages.

2,231

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,877

Per pupil spending ?

77.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2301 N B St
Fort Smith, AR 72901

(479) 783-1171

District: Fort Smith School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.3%

White:

18.1%

African American:

14.2%

See top rated Arkansas high schools

Compare Northside High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 28th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (23% vs 34% meeting standards)

!Algebra scores 14 pts below the Arkansas average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg32%

Arkansas avg34%

198^th of 291

Arkansas public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Fort Smith School District

149^th of 250Fort Smith 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arkansas percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	198 of 291	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	231 of 305	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	240 of 295	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	215 of 282	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	195 of 290	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.8	190 of 282	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.2	205 of 263	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.4	185 of 264	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	28.1	219 of 269	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.0	192 of 267	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.9	210 of 268	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.1	226 of 271	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.5	222 of 266	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.1	219 of 266	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.4	210 of 262	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.5	222 of 261	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	12.1	230 of 256	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	19.6	220 of 258	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	13.3	207 of 232	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?

Biology34%-4 vs state

Reading24%-12 vs state

English Language Arts22%-12 vs state

Geometry20%~ state avg

Algebra17%-14 vs state

4.0

1 rating

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Northside High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2025)						ATLAS Reading (2025)						ATLAS Mathematics (2025)				ATLAS Algebra (2025)			ATLAS Geometry (2025)			ATLAS Science (2025)				ATLAS Biology (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 9th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 10th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 6th Grade	ATLAS Reading 7th Grade	ATLAS Reading 8th Grade	ATLAS Reading 9th Grade	ATLAS Reading 10th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 6th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 7th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 8th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Algebra 8th Grade	ATLAS Algebra 9th Grade	ATLAS Algebra All Grades	ATLAS Geometry 9th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 10th Grade	ATLAS Geometry All Grades	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science 7th Grade	ATLAS Science 8th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	ATLAS Biology 9th Grade	ATLAS Biology 10th Grade	ATLAS Biology 11th Grade	ATLAS Biology All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northside High School	Public	9-12	2301 N B St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-1171	2,231	199	11.2	77.4%	404 (18.1%)	316 (14.2%)	1,234 (55.3%)	100 (4.5%)	13 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	160 (7.2%)	36.1	198^th of 291 public high schools	32.0%		30.8	231^st of 305 public high schools	24.3%	33				18.4	27.1	22.5				18.7	29.1	23.6						17.0	16.9	40.3	14.0	19.6					56.1	29.8	0.0	34.2	$11,877	$1,501	$10,376
Belle Point Alternative Center	Public	6-12	1501 Dodson Ave	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-7034	39	9	4.1	92.3%	17 (43.6%)	9 (23.1%)	10 (25.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.7%)	2.4	288^th of 291 public high schools	1.0%		8.7	299^th of 305 public high schools	2.0%	11				0.0		0.0				0.0		0.0				0.0															$27,301	$1,478	$25,823
Premier High School Of Fort Smith	Public, Charter	9-12	3400 Rogers Ave Ste 126	Little Rock	72202	Sebastian County	Premier High Schools Of Arkansas	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(479) 366-9410	99	31	3.1	40.4%	54 (54.5%)	19 (19.2%)	22 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	18.5	258^th of 291 public high schools	11.3%		16.6	272^nd of 305 public high schools	10.8%	14				16.7	16.7	16.7				16.7	22.2	19.5
Future School Of Fort Smith	Public, Charter	9-12	622 N 7th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Future School Of Fort Smith	Yes	No	No	Yes	(479) 431-8695	235	43	5.5	100.0%	128 (54.5%)	35 (14.9%)	41 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.8%)	27.3	233^rd of 291 public high schools	19.9%		32.2	222^nd of 305 public high schools	27.2%	11				13.9	26.1	20.7				19.4	28.2	24.4						0.0	0.0		6.8	6.4						26.2		26.1	$15,047	$2,893	$12,154
Institute For The Creative Arts School	Public, Charter	9-12	1101 Riverfront Drive	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Institute For The Creative Arts	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(479) 434-2114	49	13	3.7	34.7%	40 (81.6%)	1 (2.0%)	2 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.1%)								(n/a)				43.4	53.3	47.3				47.8	46.7	47.4						11.2	10.0		0.0	11.8								45.5
Western Arkansas Technical Center	Public	9-12	5210 Grand Ave	Fort Smith	72913	Sebastian County	Westark Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(479) 788-7720	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Southside High School	Public	9-12	4100 Gary St	Fort Smith	72903	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 646-7371	2,053	191	10.7	48.3%	1,077 (52.5%)	140 (6.8%)	462 (22.5%)	151 (7.4%)	21 (1.0%)	1 (0.0%)	201 (9.8%)	63.4	77^th of 291 public high schools	73.5%		68	71^st of 305 public high schools	76.7%	6				39.2	36.7	37.9				38.4	36.7	37.6						22.8	23.8	47.7	11.4	23.4					77.4	38.1		51.2	$12,816	$1,943	$10,873
Fort Smith Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	3205 Jenny Lind Rd	Fort Smith	72903	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(844) 989-3399	106	13	8.4	63.2%	50 (47.2%)	16 (15.1%)	23 (21.7%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (14.2%)	33.9	312^th of 495 public high schools	37.0%		14.8	281^st of 305 public high schools	7.9%	31	30.0	40.0	17.6	38.9	23.1	28.4	40.0	40.0	29.4	33.3	23.1	30.9	20.0	0.0	13.3	11.4		11.8	10.5		0.0	0.0	30.0	20.0	35.3	29.7		20.0		22.7
Van Buren High School	Public	10-12	2001 Pointer Trail	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-6821	1,232	115	10.7	57.9%	750 (60.9%)	31 (2.5%)	307 (24.9%)	34 (2.8%)	19 (1.5%)	3 (0.2%)	88 (7.1%)	66.4	66^th of 291 public high schools	77.3%		61.5	100^th of 305 public high schools	67.2%	34					42.8	42.8					41.8	41.8									8.5	8.5						41.1		40.9	$12,386	$536	$11,850
Haas Hall Academy Fort Smith	Public, Charter	7-12	1000 Fianna Way Ste 430	Fort Smith	72916	Sebastian County	Haas Hall Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(479) 977-4930	101	14	6.9	3.0%	56 (55.4%)	6 (5.9%)	8 (7.9%)	12 (11.9%)	4 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (14.9%)	95	8^th of 291 public high schools	97.3%		95.8	4^th of 305 public high schools	98.7%	4		78.6	95.3	81.3	71.4	83.0		85.7	85.7	87.5	64.3	81.6		60.0		65.2	90.0		88.9			80.0		92.8	90.4	91.4	70.0	91.6		82.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Northside High School

Is Northside High School a good school?

Northside High School ranks 198^th of 291 Arkansas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Northside High School?

Northside High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ballman Elementary School
Elementary : Harry C. Morrison Elementary School
Elementary : Howard Elementary School
Elementary : Park Elementary School
Elementary : Spradling Elementary School
Elementary : Sunnymede Elementary School
Elementary : Sutton Elementary School
Elementary : Tilles Elementary School
Middle : Dora Kimmons Middle School
Middle : William O. Darby Middle School

How many students attend Northside High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,231 students attended Northside High School.

What is the racial makeup of Northside High School?

Students at Northside High School are 55% Hispanic, 18% White, 14% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Northside High School in?

Fort Smith School District

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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.