Summary:
Zip code 72645 is home to a single middle school, Leslie Intermediate School, which serves grades 4 through 6 and is part of the highly-rated Searcy County School District in Arkansas, a district ranked in the top 73rd percentile statewide.
Leslie Intermediate School is a small school with 170 students and a notably low student-teacher ratio of 10.8:1, which allows for more individualized attention. The school consistently outperforms state averages in Mathematics and Science, with 50% proficiency in Math and 51.2% in Science for the 2025-2026 school year, compared to state averages of 44.1% and 44%, respectively. This academic success is particularly impressive given that 98.24% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. The school's per-student spending of $15,422 appears to be a strategic investment that supports these strong outcomes.
While the school excels overall, there is a notable performance drop in 6th grade, especially in Mathematics, where proficiency falls to 36% compared to 56.9% in 4th grade and 59.2% in 5th grade. This suggests a potential "6th grade slump" that may require additional support for students transitioning to more complex coursework. Despite this, the school's overall trend shows stable or slightly improving scores year-over-year, making it a resilient and effective educational option for families in the area.
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