Best High Schools in Zip Code 72023

The two high schools in zip code 72023, both part of the highly-rated Cabot School District, serve grades 9-12 (and 5-12 at one school) in Cabot, Arkansas, and present a stark contrast in performance and student demographics.

Cabot High School is the clear standout, ranking in the top 10% of all Arkansas high schools (20th out of 293) and earning a 93.8% graduation rate—well above the state average. It excels in core subjects like English Language Arts (47.1% proficient) and Biology (51.5% proficient), though Geometry proficiency (33.2%) is a relative weakness. In contrast, Cabot Panther Academy serves a more at-risk population, with 56.29% of students receiving free/reduced lunch compared to 42.53% at Cabot High School. The academy struggles significantly, ranking in the bottom half of the state (185th) with a 78.1% graduation rate and an alarming 9.0% dropout rate—7.5 times higher than Cabot High School's 1.2%.

Despite having a lower student-to-teacher ratio (10.7 vs. 17.6) and similar per-student spending ($11,107 vs. $11,384), Cabot Panther Academy's proficiency rates in ELA (31.5%), Biology (31.8%), and Geometry (11.9%) all fall well below state averages. The academy's 9th-grade ELA proficiency drops to 28.2%, suggesting the transition to high school is a critical point of failure. For parents, Cabot High School offers a traditional, high-achieving environment, while Cabot Panther Academy appears to serve as an alternative placement for students facing significant academic and socio-economic challenges, with the district's most pressing issue being the academy's dropout crisis.