Summary:
In zip code 71753 (Magnolia, AR), there are two middle schools serving grades 3 through 8, both part of the Magnolia School District, which is ranked 207th out of 251 districts in Arkansas.
Central Elementary School (grades 3-7, 527 students) and Magnolia Middle School (grades 6-8, 492 students) both serve a student population with extremely high economic need, as over 98% of students at each school qualify for free or reduced lunch. Magnolia Middle School stands out for its exceptional performance in Algebra, with 78.2% of students proficient on the ATLAS exam—more than double the state average of 36.9% and over three times the district average. This suggests a highly effective advanced math program. However, despite spending significantly more per student ($15,056 vs. $12,069) and having a much lower student-teacher ratio (10.8:1 vs. 16.4:1), Magnolia Middle School does not consistently outperform Central Elementary in core subjects. In the 2025-2026 school year, Central Elementary actually had a higher proficiency rate in Mathematics (36.4% vs. 30.7%).
A concerning trend at both schools is declining proficiency as students get older. At Central Elementary, 5th-grade English Language Arts proficiency (20.3%) is much lower than 3rd-grade (31.5%), while at Magnolia Middle School, 8th-grade Reading (23.5%) and Math (21.6%) are lower than 6th-grade (35.4% and 28%, respectively). This suggests students may be falling further behind as they progress through middle school. Overall, while Magnolia Middle School excels in advanced math, both schools face significant challenges related to poverty, and their test scores generally fall below state averages. The Algebra success at Magnolia Middle School is a notable bright spot in an otherwise challenging academic landscape.
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