Best Public Schools in Zip Code 72416

The three public schools in zip code 72416, all part of the Westside Consolidated School District (Craighead) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, serve approximately 1,817 students from Pre-K through 12th grade, offering a complete educational pipeline within a single district ranked 80th out of 251 in the state.

Westside Middle School stands out as the district's academic powerhouse, being the only school where all grade-level test scores exceed both district and state averages, with particularly strong performance in Mathematics (53.1%) and Science (53.8%). A notable "5th grade anomaly" sees that class achieving an exceptional 71.1% proficiency in math, far outpacing the 6th and 7th grades. Interestingly, this school has the highest per-student spending ($12,100) and the highest rate of economic disadvantage, suggesting effective resource allocation. In contrast, Westside High School is the district's most dramatic improver, jumping from a 2-star to a 4-star rating in one year, with English Language Arts proficiency rising from 29.8% to 38.4%. It also boasts a strong 93.4% graduation rate and the most favorable student-teacher ratio at 11.4:1, though it struggles with advanced math, as Algebra (30.7%) and Geometry (23.1%) proficiency lag behind state averages.

Westside Elementary School provides a consistent foundation, maintaining a 3-star rating for three consecutive years while operating with the lowest per-student spending ($9,756) in the district. Its Mathematics and Science scores (both 49.3%) are notably strong and on par with state averages. The district reveals an inverse relationship between spending and performance, as the middle school outperforms despite higher costs and economic challenges, while the elementary school achieves solid results with fewer resources. The high school's rapid turnaround and the middle school's exceptional 5th grade cohort are key stories, though the district faces a "leaky pipeline" where strong elementary and middle school math performance does not consistently translate to success in high school algebra and geometry.