The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jack Robey Jr. High School
Jack Robey Jr. High School is no longer in operation. The school site is listed as closed, which means there is no current student body, no active academic program, and no available data on enrollment, staffing, or day-to-day operations for a family considering it. The most recent state testing results from the 2022-23 school year, however, offer a look at what student performance looked like in its final years, and the context of the Pine Bluff School District’s recent reorganizations explains why the school closed.
In that final year of testing, Jack Robey’s students posted proficiency rates that were low across every subject and grade level tested. In math, roughly one in ten seventh graders met the state’s proficient benchmark, and eighth graders came in at a similar level. In English language arts, about one in ten seventh graders were proficient, while eighth graders fared a bit better at roughly one in five, but that was still well below statewide averages. Science results were also very low, with proficiency rates around one in ten for both grades. A parent in those years would have seen significant academic challenges across the board.
The school’s broader context matters here. Jack Robey was part of the Pine Bluff School District during a period of major structural change. In 2021, the state board of education merged the nearby Dollarway School District into Pine Bluff, expanding the district’s territory to include parts of Pine Bluff as well as the towns of Altheimer, Sherrill, and Wabbaseka, and requiring that all former Dollarway schools stay open. Then, in 2022, the district shifted from a traditional middle school model to a junior high configuration serving grades seven through nine. The following year, in 2023, the district consolidated all high school students into Pine Bluff High School and all middle school students into Robert F. Morehead Middle School, effectively ending Jack Robey’s role as a standalone junior high. The school building on Olive Street closed after that consolidation.
Because the school is closed, there is no graduation rate, no current enrollment or demographic profile, no information on programs or extracurricular offerings, and no data on civil rights topics such as discipline or course access. Families living in the Pine Bluff area who would have been assigned to Jack Robey would now be routed to Robert F. Morehead Middle School. Anyone researching this specific school can only examine its final testing results and the district’s recent restructuring decisions. The absence of a current student body means there is no ongoing peer environment or academic pathway to evaluate. The housing data for Pine Bluff reflects a city that is depopulating, with home values well below national and state medians and modest rents, situated in the flat Delta region of Jefferson County with employment anchored by healthcare, manufacturing, and a casino resort.
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