Summary:
In zip code 71730 (El Dorado, Arkansas), two middle schools—Washington Middle School (grades 5-6) and Barton Junior High School (grades 5-8)—serve students within the El Dorado School District, a 3-star district ranked 115th in Arkansas.
Barton Junior High School stands out as the stronger performer overall, particularly in advanced math. An impressive 95.2% of its students scored proficient or above in Algebra in the 2025-2026 school year, far exceeding the district average of 51.5% and the state average of 36.9%. Barton also improved its state ranking from the 48th to the 58th percentile and outperformed Washington in all core subjects that year, including English Language Arts (36.6% vs. 33.6%), Mathematics (42.1% vs. 38.5%), and Science (40.9% vs. 34.8%). Washington Middle School, while not matching Barton’s advanced math results, showed remarkable improvement in general mathematics, with proficiency jumping from 23.6% to 38.5% in one year—a 14.9-point gain that suggests effective instructional changes.
Both schools face challenges, as they consistently score below state averages in most core subjects. For example, Washington’s 5th-grade ELA proficiency (30.3%) and Barton’s 7th-grade Math proficiency (36.6%) lag behind state benchmarks. However, resource allocation is nearly identical, with per-student spending around $13,802 and free/reduced lunch rates near 66%, indicating that performance differences stem from instructional strategies and school culture rather than funding. Barton’s slightly lower student-teacher ratio (11.8 vs. 13.3) may also contribute to its edge. For parents, Barton offers a standout advanced math program, while Washington shows strong momentum in foundational math improvement.
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