Best High Schools in Zip Code 72946

Zip code 72946, serving the Mountainburg area in Arkansas, is home to a single high school, Mountainburg High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 with a small enrollment of 185 students. As the only school in the area, it provides an intimate learning environment with a very low student-teacher ratio of 8.4 to 1, but it also faces significant challenges, particularly in mathematics. The school is part of the Mountainburg School District and has a high percentage of students (97.3%) receiving free or reduced lunch, indicating a student body facing considerable economic challenges.

Mountainburg High School currently holds a 2-star rating and is ranked 163rd out of 293 high schools in Arkansas, which is a slight improvement from the previous year. The school shows a fascinating contrast in academic performance: it excels in science, with 51.8% of students proficient in Biology—well above the state average of 42.7%—and performs slightly above the state average in Reading (41.2% vs. 40.4%). However, the school faces a severe crisis in mathematics, with only 9.1% of students proficient in Algebra and a mere 7.4% in Geometry, compared to state averages of 36.9% and 26.4%, respectively. This dramatic disparity suggests a strong science department but a critical need for math intervention.

The school's graduation rate of 82.0% is notably below the state average of 90.1%, which is a significant concern and may be linked to the math struggles, as failing required math courses is a common barrier to graduation. The dropout rate is low at 1.6%. Per-student spending is $10,952. While the low student-teacher ratio likely contributes to the school's success in Biology and Reading, it has not been enough to overcome the challenges in math. The school's performance in Biology proves that improvement is possible, but a targeted, intensive focus on math instruction is the most urgent priority for Mountainburg High School.