The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 17% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Prescott Junior High School
Prescott Junior High School serves grades five through eight in the Prescott School District, a public school system in Nevada County, Arkansas. The school is located in Prescott, a small rural city that acts as the county seat. Prescott originated as a railroad town and remains a local center for business and agriculture, though its population has been declining in recent decades. The town’s commercial activity is shifting toward the Interstate 30 corridor, while the historic downtown area holds the courthouse, a depot museum, and the public library. Major local employers include the Firestone Company, Ragsdale Printing, and Flywheel Pies. The school district itself is a notable employer in the community.
The student body at Prescott Junior High is composed of a mix of white and Black students, with a small Hispanic population. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a context of high economic need. The school is a traditional public school and is not a charter or magnet institution.
State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades are low. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was modest across all four grade levels, with sixth grade having the strongest showing and fifth grade the weakest. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, with the highest proficiency rate in sixth grade and lower rates in fifth, seventh, and eighth grades. Science results followed the same general shape, with sixth grade again posting the strongest rate and fifth grade the lowest. Across all subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to the two districts in Nevada County. The comparison group is small, which limits the precision of this ranking, but the position is clear. A parent may want to discuss with the school what academic supports are available and how the school is working to address these results.
Because Prescott Junior High serves only grades five through eight, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not serve high school grades, so that metric does not apply here. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available. Information on special education and English learner populations was also missing from the available records. A parent looking for details on these areas would need to contact the school or district directly.
The school environment and access data did not include a locale description, staffing figures, or discipline records. No information was found on course access or attendance rates. The programs section was also empty, so details on specific academic or extracurricular offerings were not available from the data provided. The district brief turned up no recent major changes such as boundary adjustments, facility projects, or leadership transitions that would directly affect a family’s experience.
The housing market in Prescott is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. Home values have seen modest growth over the past year, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is well below the national median. This affordability may be a consideration for families moving into the district.
In sum, Prescott Junior High is a small, high-poverty middle school in a rural Arkansas community that is working to attract commercial growth along an interstate corridor. Academic proficiency rates are low across tested subjects, and the school’s performance sits at the bottom of a small-county comparison. A parent considering this school may want to investigate the specific supports for struggling students and any enrichment opportunities that exist, particularly because the available data does not describe the school’s program offerings or staffing levels.
See more original research from School Decision →