Arkansas High School

Arkansas High School in Texarkana, AR, serves 1,092 students in grades 9-12 and is the sole high school within the Texarkana School District, a district ranked in the bottom 20% of Arkansas. The school has a consistent 1-star rating, placing it in the bottom quartile of Arkansas high schools, and a defining characteristic is that 100% of its students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, indicating a student body facing significant economic challenges.

Academically, Arkansas High School struggles, with test scores consistently below state averages and nearby schools. For example, only 25.8% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 47.8% at the top-performing Genoa Central High School (5-star, 20.93% free/reduced lunch). The most glaring weakness is in Algebra, where just 6.2% of students are proficient, far below the state average of 36.9% and even the struggling Ashdown High School (29.3%). Interestingly, Biology proficiency is relatively strong at 29.7%, with 9th graders achieving a 61.9% rate, suggesting pockets of instructional strength in science. Despite spending more per student ($15,794) than nearby schools like Genoa Central ($12,097) and Fouke High School ($13,620), academic outcomes remain low, highlighting the profound impact of poverty on educational results.

There are some positive trends, however. The graduation rate has improved from a low of 75.8% in 2022-2023 to 89.1% in 2024-2025, close to the state average of 90.1%, and the dropout rate has fallen from 7.9% to 2.1% over the same period. This suggests recent interventions focused on student retention may be working. In contrast, nearby Premier High School of Texarkana (0-star, 50% graduation rate) serves a different mission for at-risk students, while Genoa Central shows stable, high performance with less spending. For parents, Arkansas High School offers a dedicated staff and improving graduation rates, but faces significant academic hurdles, especially in math, that require attention.