White Co. Central High School, Judsonia AR

Original Research by School Decision on White Co. Central High School

White County Central High School serves a rural community in the unincorporated area near the Providence community, just northeast of Searcy. The school draws from a small section of Judsonia, a town of slow, modest growth whose historic downtown was reshaped by a tornado and a highway bypass. Most students live in this low-density, small-town setting. The school itself is located on a rural highway, separate from the civic core of Judsonia, which centers on its historic park, library, and WPA-era community building.

The school is part of the White County Central School District, which encompasses a single campus for the upper grades. Enrollment is quite small for a combined middle and high school serving grades seven through twelve. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population representing a meaningful minority presence. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area’s economic base.

In the most recent state testing, the school’s results present a mixed academic picture. In mathematics, a solid majority of eighth graders met the state’s benchmark, while the seventh grade cohort was closer to the midpoint. On the English language arts assessments, results were softer. The seventh grade fell just below the half mark, and the eighth grade had a notably lower proficiency rate. In science, both grade levels posted moderate results, each near the midpoint. When all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single proficiency index, the school’s performance places in the top quartile among the ten districts in White County. This is a useful framing, as it indicates the school is performing above the middle of its immediate peer group even while some individual grade-level scores, particularly in eighth grade ELA, give a parent reason to ask the school how it supports literacy.

The school covers the full span of middle and high school, so it must serve a wide range of developmental stages under one roof. Data on Advanced Placement, career and technical education pathways, or dual-credit offerings is not present in the available material, so it is not possible to speak to the breadth of upper-level academic options. The graduation rate is also not reported in the data. A parent considering this school should inquire directly about the range of courses available for juniors and seniors, as well as post-graduation outcomes.

The civil rights data covering discipline, staffing ratios, and special education identification was not available. The same is true for chronic absenteeism rates, which were part of the comparison fact-set but could not be evaluated because the school itself did not report them.

Housing in the area is modestly priced relative to national benchmarks. The typical home value has appreciated recently but remains well below the national figure, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment, based on prevailing rates, is manageable for many households. The national unemployment rate was stable over the period examined.

In sum, this is a small rural school whose academic performance, relative to other districts in White County, is strong. The building houses both middle and high school grades, and the lack of published data on advanced coursework and graduation outcomes means a family should go directly to the school for those specifics. The profile fits a family seeking a close-knit school environment in a slow-growing rural area, where the student body is largely white and economically mixed.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 44 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

292 schools plotted. 5 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 36 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Science

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 20 pts above state median

This schoolWHITE CO. CENTRAL SCHOOL DIST., same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income57%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income57%33 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income65%Higher-income87%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income58%6 pp gap