Southside Junior High School

Southside Junior High School in Southside, AR, serves 427 students in grades 7 through 9 and is part of the high-performing Southside School District (Independence), which ranks in the 78th percentile statewide. The school offers a low student-teacher ratio of 11.6:1, creating an intimate learning environment that is notably smaller than nearby Batesville Junior High School Charter (14.8:1) and Southside Middle School (20.1:1).

Academically, the school shows clear strengths and weaknesses. It excels in Geometry, with 44.7% of students proficient—far above the state average of 26.4%—and performs well in Science, where 49.5% of students are proficient compared to 44% statewide. However, it struggles significantly in Algebra, with only 26.4% proficiency versus the state average of 36.9%, and this is a stark contrast to Batesville Junior High School Charter, where 90.7% of 8th graders taking Algebra are proficient. Additionally, the school’s 7th graders show the weakest test scores, suggesting the transition from elementary school is a challenge that needs more support.

Despite spending $10,806 per student—more than the district’s elementary school and Batesville Junior High School Charter—Southside Junior High underperforms relative to its own district’s Southside Middle School, which achieves higher proficiency in Mathematics (55.3% vs. 44.1%). For context, Cave City Middle School Career And Collegiate Preparatory, located 18 miles away and serving a more economically disadvantaged population, outperforms Southside Junior High in English Language Arts, Reading, and Mathematics. This comparison highlights that the school has significant room for growth in core subjects, even as it shines in specialized areas like Geometry and Science.