Summary:
In zip code 72032, there are two public middle schools serving grades 5 through 7, both part of the Conway School District, which is ranked in the 65th percentile in Arkansas.
Ray Phyllis Simon Middle School is the standout school in this area, consistently outperforming Bob Courtway Middle School across nearly every metric. Simon has a strong ranking history, reaching the 85th percentile in 2023-2024 and the 80th percentile in 2024-2025, while Bob Courtway has been more volatile and is currently trending downward. In the most recent testing year, Simon exceeded the state average in Math and Science, while Bob Courtway fell below the state average in all core subjects. Simon also benefits from more resources, with a lower student-teacher ratio (12.8:1 vs. 14.3:1) and higher per-student spending ($12,840 vs. $12,139).
A key finding is the significant socioeconomic divide between the schools, with Bob Courtway having a much higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (72.09%) compared to Simon (58.39%), which is a strong indicator of differing community challenges. Interestingly, while Simon generally outperforms Bob Courtway, its 6th-grade cohort shows a dramatic drop in proficiency, performing worse than Bob Courtway's 6th graders in ELA, Reading, and Math. Conversely, Simon's 7th graders are exceptionally strong, particularly in Math and Science, suggesting either a very effective teaching team or a particularly gifted cohort. This anomaly proves that even with higher spending and smaller class sizes, targeted instructional strategies are crucial for specific groups of students.
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