Summary:
In zip code 71667 (Star City, Arkansas), there is one elementary school, Star City Jimmy Brown Elementary School, serving grades PK through 5 with a total enrollment of 679 students.
Star City Jimmy Brown Elementary School is part of the Star City School District, which is ranked 189th out of 251 districts in Arkansas (25th percentile) and holds a 1-star rating. The school itself ranks 348th out of 491 elementary schools in the state (29th percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year, a decline from the 33rd percentile in 2024-2025. A standout characteristic is the exceptionally high economic need, with 99.85% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch in 2024-2025. Despite this challenge, the school outperforms its district average in every subject, suggesting it is a relative strength within the district. For example, in 2025-2026 ATLAS tests, the school scored 36% proficient in Mathematics compared to the district's 34.8%, though both trail the state average of 44.1%.
Key metrics include a student-teacher ratio of 15.4:1 and per-student spending of $11,372, which is above the national average. The school has shown notable improvement in Science, with proficiency jumping from 25.5% in 2024-2025 to 35.7% in 2025-2026—a 10.2 percentage point increase. However, a concerning trend is the consistent dip in 5th-grade scores across all subjects, such as Mathematics where 5th graders scored 32.9% proficient versus 38.8% for 3rd graders. This volatility in performance, combined with high spending yet below-average outcomes, raises questions about resource allocation. Overall, the school's performance must be viewed through the lens of extreme poverty, which strongly correlates with lower test scores, making its improvements in Math and Science particularly noteworthy.
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