Summary:
In zip code 72958, there is one middle school, Waldron Middle School, serving grades 5 through 8 with 409 students in the Waldron School District of Waldron, Arkansas, where 70.9% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic need.
Waldron Middle School has shown a volatile ranking history, earning a 2-star rating (34th percentile) in 2025-2026, a 1-star rating (27th percentile) in 2024-2025, and a 2-star rating (32nd percentile) in 2023-2024. The school's overall proficiency in 2025-2026 lags behind state averages across all subjects: English Language Arts (31.2% vs. 39.4%), Reading (30.4% vs. 40.4%), Mathematics (38.9% vs. 44.1%), and Science (37.3% vs. 44.0%). However, a notable bright spot is 8th-grade mathematics, where 44.6% of students are proficient, exceeding the state average of 36.2%. The school also demonstrated significant year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with ELA proficiency rising from 21.3% to 31.2% and math from 25.1% to 38.9%.
A concerning trend is the steady decline in ELA and Reading proficiency as students progress through grades. For example, ELA proficiency drops from 40.9% in 5th grade to 23.6% in 8th grade, suggesting challenges in building advanced literacy skills. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.2:1 and per-student spending of $11,198, the school has moderate resources but has not yet translated them into state-average outcomes. The standout 8th-grade math performance may point to an effective teacher or targeted program, while the overall data suggests the school is working to close a persistent achievement gap.
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