Summary:
In zip code 71822, there is one middle school, Ashdown Junior High School, serving grades 6 through 8 with 278 students in the Ashdown School District of Arkansas.
Ashdown Junior High School is a school on the rise, showing a positive trajectory in state rankings by improving from the 33rd percentile to the 45th percentile over two years. The school has a notably low student-teacher ratio of 9.6:1 and spends $14,999 per student, which is a significant investment given that over 70% of students are economically disadvantaged. While the school's test scores in English Language Arts (33%), Reading (37.8%), Mathematics (37.3%), and Science (42.1%) are all below state averages, there has been substantial year-over-year improvement across every subject, with gains ranging from 6.1 to 10.7 percentage points. A bright spot is 7th-grade Science, where 48.8% of students are proficient, outperforming the state average of 44.9%.
A critical area of concern is the dramatic drop in performance for 8th graders, with proficiency rates falling significantly below 6th and 7th grades in all subjects—for example, only 18.6% of 8th graders are proficient in English Language Arts compared to nearly 40% in the other grades. This pattern is not seen at the state level, suggesting a potential systemic issue within the school's 8th-grade curriculum or instruction. Overall, the school's rapid improvement and low student-teacher ratio provide a strong foundation, but addressing the 8th-grade performance gap will be key to ensuring consistent academic gains for all students.
Thank you for your feedback!