Summary:
Zip code 72742 in Kingston, AR, is home to two small schools within the Jasper School District, serving a highly economically disadvantaged community where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Kingston High School (grades 7-12, 92 students) is the standout school in the area, consistently achieving above-average state rankings despite its high poverty rate. It has a strong graduation rate of 90.9% and recently posted proficiency rates of 50.9% in Reading and 51.7% in Mathematics, significantly outperforming state averages. The high school also boasts an extraordinarily low student-to-teacher ratio of 2.6:1 and spends $18,227 per student, suggesting strategic resource allocation that enables individualized attention. In contrast, Kingston Elementary School (grades PK-6, 122 students) shows a more mixed picture. While it has a strong upward trend, jumping from a 1-star to a 3-star rating, it struggles with a dramatic "4th grade slump" where proficiency rates plummet to around 16% in core subjects, compared to 70-80% in 3rd grade. The elementary school has a higher student-to-teacher ratio of 10.7:1 and spends $16,608 per student.
Key metrics reveal a tale of two trends: the elementary school is improving rapidly, while the high school, though still excellent, has declined from a peak 5-star ranking in 2023-2024 to a 4-star ranking in 2025-2026. The high school's "Algebra Advantage" is notable, with 50% of 9th graders proficient in Algebra versus 25.3% statewide. Overall, the most compelling takeaway is the resilience of Kingston High School, which consistently achieves above-average results despite nearly all students living in poverty, pointing to an effective school culture and successful intervention strategies.
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