Best High Schools in Zip Code 72450

Zip code 72450 in Paragould, Arkansas, is home to two high schools serving grades 9 through 12: Paragould High School and Greene City Technical High School, which together educate over 1,600 students.

Greene City Technical High School stands out as the higher-performing institution across most academic and operational metrics. Its district, the Greene County Technical School District, ranks in the 86th percentile statewide (36th out of 251), compared to the Paragould School District which ranks in the 51st percentile (124th). Greene City Technical boasts a remarkably low dropout rate of just 0.6% and outperforms Paragould High in Biology proficiency (45.5% vs. 38.6%) and English Language Arts (36.2% vs. 34.9%). However, Paragould High School achieves a notable feat: despite a 100% free/reduced lunch rate indicating significant economic challenges, it maintains a graduation rate of 90.5%, slightly above the state average. Paragould also has a standout strength in 9th-grade Geometry, with an 87.1% proficiency rate that far exceeds the state average of 59.2%.

Both schools have shown dramatic improvement in recent years, with Paragould High jumping from the 26th to the 53rd percentile in state rankings and Greene City Technical rising from the 32nd to the 69th percentile. Interestingly, Paragould High spends nearly $1,000 more per student ($12,908 vs. $11,909) yet underperforms in most subjects, suggesting that Greene City Technical may allocate resources more efficiently, or that Paragould's additional spending is directed toward supporting its high-poverty student body. For parents, Greene City Technical offers stronger overall academics and a lower dropout rate, while Paragould High demonstrates resilience and exceptional math instruction despite facing greater economic hurdles.