Summary:
In zip code 71833, there is one high school, Dierks High School, serving grades 7 through 12 in the small, rural community of Dierks, Arkansas, with a total enrollment of 253 students.
Dierks High School is a standout for its very low student-teacher ratio of 4.6:1, which allows for highly personalized instruction. The school shows a clear strength in Mathematics, with 52.1% of students proficient compared to the state average of 44.1%. However, it struggles significantly in Science (25.9% proficient vs. 44.0% state) and Geometry (10.5% proficient vs. 26.4% state), with 10th-grade Geometry at 0% proficiency. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 81.42% of students receiving free or reduced lunch, yet it has shown positive momentum by improving its state ranking from the 12th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 28th percentile in 2025-2026. The graduation rate is 88.3%, below the state average of 90.1%, but the dropout rate is very low at 0.4%.
For parents, the key takeaway is that Dierks High School offers a small, supportive environment with strong math instruction, but families should be aware of notable gaps in science and geometry performance. The school, part of the Dierks School District (ranked 159th out of 251 districts in Arkansas), is on an upward trend despite economic challenges, making it a school with promising improvement. The contrast between high math proficiency and low science proficiency suggests a potential imbalance in curriculum focus, while the low dropout rate paired with a below-average graduation rate indicates that most students stay in school but some may face hurdles to graduating on time.
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