Summary:
The city of Shirley, Arkansas is home to two schools - Shirley Elementary School and Shirley High School, both part of the Shirley School District. While Shirley High School has shown some improvement in recent years, the data paints a concerning picture of academic struggles across both schools, with consistently low performance rankings and test scores well below state averages.
Shirley Elementary School has been a particular area of concern, ranking in the bottom 25% of Arkansas elementary schools for the past 3 years and earning a low 1-out-of-5 star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, Shirley High School has a mixed performance record, ranking in the bottom half of Arkansas high schools in 2021-2022 but improving to the middle of the pack in 2022-2023, with a 2-out-of-5 star rating.
A key factor contributing to the academic challenges faced by both schools is the extremely high rate of free and reduced lunch recipients, at 100% for the 2022-2023 school year. This indicates a high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations, which likely plays a significant role in the schools' struggles. While the schools have relatively small class sizes, this does not appear to be translating into stronger academic outcomes, suggesting that other factors beyond just student-teacher ratios are at play.
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