Summary:
Zip code 72331 in Earle, Arkansas, is served by two public schools—Earle Elementary School (Pre-K through 6th grade) and Earle High School (7th through 12th grade)—both part of the Earle School District, which is ranked near the very bottom of all districts in Arkansas.
While both schools face profound academic challenges tied to extreme poverty, Earle Elementary School stands out as a relative bright spot, showing notable year-over-year improvement. In the 2025-2026 school year, its English Language Arts proficiency rose to 18.6% (up from 10.4% the prior year), and math proficiency reached 13.7%. However, a severe "4th grade slump" is evident, with only 3.4% of 4th graders proficient in core subjects and 0% in science. In contrast, Earle High School faces more critical struggles, with proficiency rates often in the single digits—just 7.3% in Reading and 7.4% in Biology. Its graduation rate of 74.1% is well below the state average of 90.1%, and 10th graders posted a 0% proficiency rate in both ELA and Reading, suggesting students may be promoted without achieving basic competency.
A striking paradox is the high spending and low performance: the high school spends $17,680 per student with an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 3.8:1, yet remains one of the lowest-performing schools in the state. This indicates challenges are deeply rooted in socioeconomic factors rather than a lack of resources. The elementary school’s improvement offers a glimmer of hope for the district’s future, but overall, the Earle School District appears to be in survival mode, focusing on basic support for its 371 students rather than achieving high academic standards.
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