Summary:
Zip code 71720 in Bearden, Arkansas, is home to a single high school, Bearden High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 and is part of the Bearden School District.
Bearden High School is a small, rural school with 227 students and an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 4.8:1, which allows for significant individual attention. The school spends $14,138 per student, well above many averages, and boasts a strong graduation rate of 92.8%, which is higher than the state average of 90.1%. However, the school faces a major challenge: nearly every student (98.68%) comes from a low-income household, as indicated by the free/reduced lunch rate. This economic disadvantage is reflected in the school's academic proficiency rates, which are significantly below state averages in nearly every subject. For example, only 23.1% of students are proficient in English Language Arts compared to the state's 39.4%, and just 20.4% are proficient in Science versus the state's 44.0%.
The most striking finding is the contrast between the school's high graduation rate and its low test scores, suggesting that while students are successfully completing high school, many are not reaching grade-level academic benchmarks. A notable anomaly is the 0% proficiency rate in Geometry, which is likely due to the very small number of students taking that specific test. On a positive note, the school's Mathematics proficiency rate (36.1%) is the closest to the state average (44.1%), and 8th-grade math scores actually matched the state average, indicating a potential strength in middle school math instruction. Overall, Bearden High School is a community-focused school that effectively keeps students in school and graduates them, but it faces a steep uphill battle in achieving academic proficiency due to the pervasive impact of poverty.
Thank you for your feedback!