Paris High School

Paris High School in Paris, AR, is a small, rural school serving 306 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Paris School District. The school stands out for its exceptional performance in Biology, where 56.9% of students were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year, significantly outpacing the state average of 42.7%. This strength is consistent, with 10th graders achieving 59% proficiency compared to just 35.1% statewide. However, the school faces a critical challenge in mathematics, with only 5.8% of students proficient in Algebra—a staggering 31.1 percentage points below the state average. This stark contrast between science and math performance suggests a systemic issue that needs attention, even as the school excels in other areas.

Despite serving a community where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, Paris High School maintains a graduation rate consistently above the state average, reaching 92.5% in the 2024-2025 school year compared to the state's 90.1%. The school also benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 7.7:1, which allows for more individualized attention. When compared to nearby schools, Paris shows a mixed picture. For instance, Lamar High School outperforms Paris in English Language Arts (42.8% vs. 26.4%) and Algebra (31.5% vs. 5.8%), but Paris matches or exceeds Lamar in Biology (56.9% vs. 53.5%). Similarly, Booneville High School, which also has a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, achieves much higher scores in English Language Arts (46.6%) and Reading (47.8%), indicating that poverty alone does not explain Paris's literacy challenges.

Paris High School's state ranking has been volatile over the past decade, swinging from a 4-star to a 1-star rating, which suggests performance is sensitive to changes in student cohorts. However, the school performs relatively well compared to its most demographically similar neighbor, Westside High School, outperforming it in nearly every subject, particularly Biology (56.9% vs. 45.5%) and English Language Arts (26.4% vs. 15.5%). Overall, Paris High School is a school with a clear identity: it successfully graduates students at a high rate despite economic challenges, excels in science, but must address persistent weaknesses in mathematics to ensure all students are prepared for future success.