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Little Rock Southwest High School

Public Grades 9-12

278^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 293 Arkansas High Schools

Better than 5% of Arkansas high schools

Summary

Little Rock Southwest High School in Mabelvale, AR, is a large public high school serving 2,045 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Little Rock School District, a district that ranks in the bottom third of Arkansas.

The most defining characteristic of Little Rock Southwest is the extreme economic disadvantage its students face, with nearly 100% qualifying for free or reduced lunch—a rate dramatically higher than district peers like Central High School (55.97%) and Parkview Magnet High School (68.19%). Academic proficiency rates are critically low, with only 12.9% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 5.1% in Algebra, compared to state averages of 39.4% and 36.9%, respectively. The school also faces a persistently high dropout rate of 11.9%, nearly four times higher than Central High School (3.2%), and its graduation rate has declined from 85.2% to 72.1% over the past five years.

Despite these challenges, the school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12:1 and per-pupil spending of $15,936, which is comparable to Central High School ($16,165). This suggests that the difficulties are deeply rooted in socioeconomic barriers rather than a lack of resources. Interestingly, 35.7% of 9th graders were proficient in Biology, significantly higher than the school's overall 11.6% proficiency rate, hinting at a potential bright spot. When compared to Graduate Arkansas Charter High School, which serves a similarly disadvantaged population, Little Rock Southwest has a much lower dropout rate (11.9% vs. 47%) but significantly lower math proficiency (5.1% vs. 31.6% in Algebra), indicating different approaches to serving at-risk students.

2,045

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,936

Per pupil spending ?

99.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9715 Mabelvale Pike
Mabelvale, AR 72103

(501) 447-9100

District: Little Rock School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

56.4%

Hispanic:

36.7%

White:

4.8%

See top rated Arkansas high schools

Compare Little Rock Southwest High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2021 → 5th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (11% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Arkansas average (72% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg31%

Arkansas avg39%

278^th of 293

Arkansas public high schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 3 pts since 2021

From bottom 2% (2021) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Little Rock School District

178^th of 251Little Rock 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
2026	8.0	278 of 293	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.2	283 of 291	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	300 of 305	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	286 of 295	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.8	275 of 282	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.9	285 of 290	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Reading16%-24 vs state

English Language Arts13%-27 vs state

Biology12%-31 vs state

Algebra5%-32 vs state

Geometry2%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Little Rock Southwest High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)					ATLAS Reading (2026)					ATLAS Mathematics (2026)			ATLAS Algebra (2026)		ATLAS Geometry (2026)					ATLAS Science (2026)			ATLAS Biology (2026)				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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 7th Grade	ATLAS Reading 8th Grade	ATLAS Reading 9th Grade	ATLAS Reading 10th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 7th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 8th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Algebra 9th Grade	ATLAS Algebra All Grades	ATLAS Geometry 9th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 10th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 11th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 12th Grade	ATLAS Geometry All Grades	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
Little Rock Southwest High School	Public	9-12	9715 Mabelvale Pike	Mabelvale	72103	Pulaski County	Little Rock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 447-9100	2,045	170	12.0	99.9%	99 (4.8%)	1,154 (56.4%)	750 (36.7%)	8 (0.4%)	13 (0.6%)	2 (0.1%)	19 (0.9%)	8	278^th of 293 public high schools	5.1%		7.2	283^rd of 291 public high schools	2.7%	5			14.9	10.5	12.9			17.7	14.5	16.2				5.3	5.1	2.7	2.5	0.0		2.4				35.7	7.2	16.7	11.6	$15,936	$2,186	$13,751
The Excel Center	Public, Charter	12	7400 Scott Hamilton Dr Suite	Little Rock	72209	Pulaski County	Excel Center	Yes	No	No	No	(501) 372-5100	1	9	.1		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Metropolitan Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	7701 Scott Hamilton Dr	Little Rock	72209	Pulaski County	Little Rock School District	No	No	No	No	(501) 447-1200	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Graduate Arkansas Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	6724 Interstate 30	Little Rock	72209	Pulaski County	Graduate Arkansas Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(501) 500-9270	557	10	53.1	99.1%	203 (36.4%)	251 (45.1%)	63 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.0%)	20.5	251^st of 293 public high schools	14.3%		20	253^rd of 291 public high schools	13.1%	2			13.5	9.3	11.2			21.2	15.2	18.1				33.7	31.6	32.1	25.9	35.7	46.2	30.0				24.2	16.4	18.2	18.3	$8,304	$1,803	$6,501
Parkview Magnet High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	2501 John Barrow Road	Little Rock	72204	Pulaski County	Little Rock School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(501) 447-2300	1,072	78	13.7	68.2%	120 (11.2%)	816 (76.1%)	112 (10.4%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (1.6%)	43.9	175^th of 293 public high schools	40.3%		46.2	155^th of 291 public high schools	46.7%	20			41.3	39.1	40.1			42.1	40.4	41.3				8.8	9.2	35.0	6.7			13.6				44.9	21.9		30.9	$17,023	$1,857	$15,165
Premier High School Of North Little Rock	Public, Charter	9-12	400 Hardin Rd Suite 120	Little Rock	72211	Pulaski County	Premier High Schools Of Arkansas	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(501) 333-9541	76	3	27.6	82.9%	1 (1.3%)	70 (92.1%)	3 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	1.5	290^th of 293 public high schools	1.0%					(n/a)			0.0		0.0			7.1		5.3
Premier High School Of Fayetteville	Public, Charter	9-12	400 Hardin Rd Suite 120	Little Rock	72211	Washington County	Premier High Schools Of Arkansas	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(479) 255-5513	14	2	7.2	64.3%	6 (42.9%)	2 (14.3%)	4 (28.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (14.3%)	3.3	286^th of 293 public high schools	2.4%					(n/a)			8.0	10.0	8.6			8.0	10.0	8.6
Premier High School Of Russellville	Public, Charter	9-12	400 Hardin Rd Suite 120	Little Rock	72211	Pope County	Premier High Schools Of Arkansas	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(479) 235-4455	31	3	9.5	61.3%	21 (67.7%)	6 (19.4%)	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.5%)	1.1	291^st of 293 public high schools	0.7%					(n/a)			0.0	0.0	0.0			8.3	0.0	3.3					0.0												18.2
Arkansas Consolidated High School-Alexander	Public	7-12	1501 Woody Drive	Alexander	72022	Saline County	Division Of Youth Services School System	No	No	No	No	(501) 682-1144	106	15	6.9	97.2%	31 (29.2%)	68 (64.2%)	5 (4.7%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1.6	289^th of 293 public high schools	1.4%		2.2	290^th of 291 public high schools	0.3%	1	0.0	6.3	0.0	3.4	2.3	0.0	6.3	0.0	3.4	2.3	0.0	7.1	3.8	0.0	0.0						0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0		0.0
Lisa Academy West High School	Public, Charter	9-12	6711 W. Markham St	Little Rock	72205	Pulaski County	Lisa Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(501) 500-5051	394	32	12.4	76.1%	42 (10.7%)	169 (42.9%)	162 (41.1%)	11 (2.8%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	43.6	176^th of 293 public high schools	39.9%		57	109^th of 291 public high schools	62.5%	67			35.5	40.4	37.9			36.4	44.5	40.3				6.4	6.4	45.0	3.3			10.7				88.9	26.9		38.0	$12,595	$1,077	$11,518

Frequently Asked Questions about Little Rock Southwest High School

How many students attend Little Rock Southwest High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,045 students attended Little Rock Southwest High School.

What schools feed into Little Rock Southwest High School?

Little Rock Southwest High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bale Elementary School
Elementary : Chicot Elementary School
Elementary : J.A. Fair K8 Preparatory School
Elementary : Mabelvale Elementary School
Elementary : Otter Creek Elementary School
Elementary : Wakefield Elementary School
Elementary : Watson Elementary School
Elementary : Western Hills Elementary School
Middle : Mabelvale Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Little Rock Southwest High School?

Students at Little Rock Southwest High School are 56% African American, 37% Hispanic, 5% White.

Is Little Rock Southwest High School a good school?

Little Rock Southwest High School ranks in the bottom 5.1% of Arkansas high schools.

What district is Little Rock Southwest High School in?

Little Rock School District

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Schools in Mabelvale, AR

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Latest Arkansas data All new data »

2025–26 ATLAS test scoresJul 13, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2019–20 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 dropout ratesJan 6, 2026

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.