Summary:
Zip code 72153, serving the rural community of Shirley, Arkansas, is home to a single high school, Shirley High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 within the Shirley School District.
Shirley High School is a very small school with only 110 students, offering an excellent student-to-teacher ratio of 7.5:1 and spending a high $17,009 per student annually. However, the school faces significant challenges, with 74.55% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating high economic need. Academically, the school is rated as a 1-star school, placing it in the 28th percentile of Arkansas high schools, a drop from the previous year's 2-star rating. Overall proficiency rates are well below state averages in English Language Arts (28% vs. 39.4%), Reading (34.7% vs. 40.4%), Mathematics (20.4% vs. 44.1%), and Science (28.6% vs. 44%). The most critical weakness is in Algebra, where proficiency is 0% compared to the state average of 36.9%, and 8th-grade Mathematics also sits at 0%.
Despite these struggles, there is a notable bright spot: 10th-grade English Language Arts proficiency is 38.5%, which actually exceeds the state average of 37.2%. Additionally, the school maintains a graduation rate of 86.6%, though this is below the state average of 90.1%. The data reveals a paradox where strong resources (low class sizes and high spending) have not translated into strong academic outcomes, likely due to the overwhelming socio-economic challenges faced by the community. For parents, this school offers a close-knit environment with individual attention, but academic performance, especially in math, requires urgent attention and improvement.
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