Summary:
Zip code 72842, covering the Belleville, Arkansas area, is home to a single public school, Western Yell County High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 with a total enrollment of 141 students.
Western Yell County High School is a small, rural school that presents a complex picture for parents. On one hand, it offers an incredibly personalized learning environment with a student-to-teacher ratio of just 4.5:1 and spends a substantial $15,854 per student. On the other hand, its academic performance on state tests is significantly below state averages, with only 24.6% of students proficient in English Language Arts compared to the state's 39.4%, and 22.8% proficient in Science versus the state's 44.0%. The school is part of the Western Yell County School District, which is ranked 186th out of 251 districts in Arkansas. A critical factor is that nearly 98% of students are economically disadvantaged, which likely impacts these scores. However, there are bright spots: the school's graduation rate of 91.6% is above the state average, and 8th-grade math proficiency actually exceeded the state average in the most recent testing year.
For parents, the key takeaway is that Western Yell County High School is a high-investment school that struggles with academic proficiency but excels at keeping students on track to graduate. The school shows signs of improvement, having moved from the 21st percentile in state rankings to the 31st percentile over two years. While test scores are a concern, the low student-teacher ratio and high per-pupil spending suggest a dedicated effort to support each student, making it a school where individual attention is a given, even if overall academic outcomes are still a work in progress.
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