The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 21% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Warren Middle School
Warren Middle School sits in a small, rural south Arkansas town that has seen sustained population decline since the 1980s. The school itself serves grades six through eight and is part of the Warren School District, a system that recently invested heavily in capital construction. The town's economic history is rooted in timber, and while those lumber companies are long gone, the district remains a notable local employer.
The student body of roughly this size for a three-grade middle school is diverse. The largest racial groups are white students and Black students, each making up a substantial portion of enrollment, followed by Hispanic students. Notably, every single student in the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a clear marker of the community's economic conditions.
On state assessments, Warren Middle School's results present a mixed picture that a parent will want to examine closely. In reading, proficiency rates hovered at a low level across all three grades, a soft spot that warrants a conversation with the school about reading intervention and support. Math results showed a sharp grade-level difference: sixth and seventh grade proficiency was also low, but eighth grade math proficiency landed noticeably higher, reaching a level often considered a solid midpoint. Science results followed a similar upward trajectory from sixth to eighth grade, with eighth graders performing at a higher rate than their younger peers. Overall, when taking the average across all tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared to the other district in Bradley County, though the county itself contains only two districts, so the comparison set is narrow.
The school is a charter school, though the data does not provide details on its charter authorizer or any specific instructional model tied to that status. This is the only charter in the Warren district. The district has reported a graduation rate that improved over a five-year period, a positive signal for families who will eventually send their child on to high school. However, no graduation rate data was available for this middle school itself, which is expected for a non-high-school grade band.
For housing context, the area's home values are well below both state and national benchmarks, and the local market has seen a decline in the most recent period of available data. This makes Warren a comparatively affordable place to live, consistent with the rural and economically modest profile of the town.
A parent considering Warren Middle School will find a school serving a high-poverty community where basic academic proficiency in reading and early math is an area of concern, though eighth grade math and science show relative strength. The improved district graduation rate suggests that the high school pathway may be getting stronger, but the middle school's own academic numbers are the more immediate consideration. Given the low reading results across all three grades, this is a school where a parent should ask directly about literacy support, intervention programs, and how the school is addressing these gaps, as the data does not provide those details. The school is the only option in the district for this grade band, so for families in Warren, this is the default public middle school, and understanding its programs and improvement efforts will be essential.
See more original research from School Decision →