Summary:
In zip code 72722, there is one high school, Decatur High School, serving grades 9 through 12 in the rural community of Decatur, Arkansas, with a small enrollment of 173 students.
Decatur High School is part of the Decatur School District and has shown a remarkable upward trajectory in its state ranking, moving from a 1-star rating to a 3-star rating over the past two years. This improvement is particularly notable given that 100% of its students are economically disadvantaged. The school boasts an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 6.1 to 1 and spends $15,644 per student, indicating a significant investment in personalized instruction and resources. However, despite these investments, the school's graduation rate of 69.2% is well below the state average of 90.1%, and test scores in most subjects, such as English Language Arts (29.7% proficient) and Algebra (20.6% proficient), trail state averages. A surprising bright spot is Geometry, where 29% of students are proficient, outperforming the state average of 26.4%, with 10th and 11th graders showing particularly strong results.
The most critical takeaway is that Decatur High School is a school in transition, showing clear signs of academic improvement even as it faces significant challenges. The high per-pupil spending and low class sizes suggest a supportive environment, but the low graduation rate and below-average test scores in core subjects highlight areas needing continued focus. The school's recent ranking gains may be an early indicator that its resource investments are starting to yield results, but the data also underscores the difficulty of overcoming the impacts of widespread poverty. For parents, this school offers a small, close-knit setting with potential for growth, but they should be aware of the gap between current academic outcomes and state benchmarks.
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