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Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy

Public, Charter Grades 6-8
234th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 327 Arkansas Middle Schools
Better than 28% of Arkansas middle schools
Summary

Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy is a small, rural school in Mountainburg, AR, serving 132 students in grades 6-8, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting exceptionally high economic need.

This school stands out for its intimate learning environment, with a student-teacher ratio of 11.7:1, which is lower than nearby Northridge Middle School (16:1) and comparable to Alma Middle School (11.5:1). It also spends more per student ($11,682) than these higher-performing peers, yet its overall academic performance is below state averages, earning a 1-star rating. A unique bright spot is the "7th grade anomaly": in the 2025-2026 school year, 7th graders scored above the state average in English Language Arts (42.4% vs. 37.7%) and Mathematics (48.4% vs. 44.2%), a remarkable achievement given the poverty level. However, this success doesn't carry over to 6th or 8th grades, where scores drop significantly. The school's "Brain Academy" name suggests specialized learning, but test results don't yet match that expectation.

Compared to nearby schools, the contrast is stark. Alma Middle School, just 10 miles away in the Alma School District, outperforms Mountainburg in every subject (e.g., 53.3% vs. 33.3% in Math) despite a lower poverty rate (48%) and higher student-teacher ratio. This suggests systemic factors in the Alma School District drive success, while Mountainburg's higher spending may be directed toward support services rather than proven academic interventions. On a positive note, Mountainburg's raw math scores improved from 12.6% to 33.3% between 2023-2024 and 2025-2026, showing progress, but it's not keeping pace with statewide gains. For parents, this school offers small classes and dedicated resources, but faces significant challenges in translating investment into consistent academic growth.

132
Students ?
11.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,682
Per pupil spending ?
100%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 129 Hwy 71 SW
       Mountainburg, AR  72946

(479) 369-4506

District: Mountainburg School District


Students who attend Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy usually attend:

High:    Mountainburg High School

Feeder schools for Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy:

Elementary:    Mountainburg Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
95.5%
Hispanic:
2.3%
American Indian:
1.5%
more
 See top rated Arkansas middle schools

 Compare Mountainburg Middle School Brain Academy to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2021 → 28th in 2026
Strengths
Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Arkansas average (31% vs 42% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2021
!Science scores 13 pts below the Arkansas average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school31%
District avg37%
Arkansas avg42%
234th of 327
Arkansas public middle schools ?
Bottom 28%▼ down 9 pts since 2021
From bottom 38% (2021) to bottom 28% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
152nd of 251Mountainburg 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArkansas percentileRating
202633.4234 of 32728.4%★☆☆☆☆
202541.7204 of 32437.0%★★☆☆☆
202439.5211 of 33537.0%★★☆☆☆
202344.0201 of 33039.1%★★☆☆☆
202244.7185 of 31841.8%★★☆☆☆
202143.6205 of 33037.9%★★☆☆☆
By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics33%-11 vs state
Science31%-13 vs state
Reading30%-10 vs state
English Language Arts28%-12 vs state

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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.





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