Lake Hamilton Junior High School

Lake Hamilton Junior High School in Pearcy, AR, serves 636 students in grades 8 and 9 and is part of the highly-rated Lake Hamilton School District, which holds a 5-star rating and ranks in the 94th percentile of Arkansas districts. The school has a relatively high rate of economic disadvantage, with about 64% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 11.1:1, suggesting smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.

This school presents a fascinating academic profile, excelling in mathematics while struggling in science. In the 2025-2026 school year, 65.3% of students were proficient in Geometry, far surpassing the district average of 40.2% and the state average of 26.4%. General Mathematics performance is also strong, with 64.3% proficiency compared to 56.6% in the district and 44.1% statewide. However, Biology is a significant weakness, with only 25% of 9th graders proficient, well below the district (45.1%) and state (42.7%) averages. There is also a notable performance gap between grade levels: 8th graders excel in Algebra (76.4% proficient), while 9th graders show a sharp decline in Algebra (38.8% proficient) and Biology.

On a positive note, the school has shown remarkable improvement in English Language Arts (ELA), with proficiency jumping from 30.8% in 2023-2024 to 46.2% in 2025-2026—a 50% increase that moved the school from below the state average to well above it. This improvement, combined with stable demographics, suggests effective school-wide strategies are driving academic gains. While the school spends over $10,000 per student annually and has a low student-teacher ratio, the persistent weakness in Biology indicates a specific curricular challenge that needs targeted attention, rather than a lack of resources.