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If you could change one rule at WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
711
Middle
DISTRICT 755 · STATE 464
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 050633000360
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL
616 N 14TH ST, FORT SMITH, AR 72901 · (479) 783-4159 · Sebastian County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL711 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.8:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
83%
589 students
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 70%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 229 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 239 | 34% |
| Grade 8 | 243 | 34% |
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 61% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ATLAS 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3+4)English Language Arts
29.5%
AR avg 34.9% . +5.2pp since 2023
Math
28.6%
AR avg 38.9% . +5.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the ATLAS, Arkansas's statewide test, about 30 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arkansas schools, those numbers are about 35 and 39. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
ATLAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 29.5% | 28.6% |
| 2023-24 | 24.3% | 22.9% |
% Proficient (Level 3+4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: ATLAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
27.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.0%
based on AR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 29% typical for Arkansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Arkansas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (27.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 711 | 82.8% | 27.1% |
| SONORA MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRINGDALE | 668 | 86.1% | 26.7% |
| HELEN TYSON MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRINGDALE | 676 | 83.6% | 29.3% |
| DEQUEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL DE QUEEN | 354 | 77.7% | 39.2% |
| OAKDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL ROGERS | 809 | 66.4% | 35.5% |
| DARDANELLE MIDDLE SCHOOL DARDANELLE | 500 | 75.0% | 35.8% |
Matched among Arkansas middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arkansas | In Sebastian County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.1% | #160 of 207 | #6 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.6% | #148 of 208 ▲ 15 | #6 of 7 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 29.5% | #132 of 208 ▲ 21 | #5 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 711 | #35 of 217 | #4 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.5:1 | #47 of 188 | #1 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.7% | #23 of 188 | #2 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.8% | #61 of 210 | #2 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +6.1% | #35 of 61 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
711
+16 (+2%) vs 2020
+19% since 1990-91, when it was 595
Student : Teacher
12.5:1
was 13.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 711 | 56.9 | 12.5:1 | 83% (589) |
| 2023-24 | 720 | 49.7 | 14.5:1 | 86% (616) |
| 2022-23 | 700 | 47.8 | 14.7:1 | 87% (607) |
| 2020-21 | 695 | 52 | 13.4:1 | 92% (638) |
| 2017-18 | 670 | 55.8 | 12.0:1 | 48% (324) |
| 2015-16 | 673 | 52 | 12.9:1 | 94% (633) |
| 2010-11 | 595 | 46 | 12.9:1 | 93% (552) |
| 2000-01 | 701 | 58 | 12.1:1 | 67% (473) |
| 1990-91 | 595 | 44 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
About WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL is a high-enrollment middle school in FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT, located in FORT SMITH, Arkansas. Grades offered run from 6 through 8, with 711 students enrolled. For comparison, middle schools in Arkansas average about 464 students.
FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT runs WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL along with 26 other schools, enrolling 14,164 students in total.
At WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL, the largest share of students is Hispanic, at 50%. The school is also 30% White, 10% multiracial, and 9% Black. That is higher than the 16% Hispanic share among all Sebastian County residents. The school's diversity index is 65%, meaning two students picked at random have a 65% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Teachers at WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL total 56.9 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 12.5:1. That is 1.4 students per teacher below the 13.9:1 average for middle schools in Arkansas. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 83%. That is 18 points above the 65% average for public schools in Sebastian County.
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL sits between the top and bottom 10% of Arkansas schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 27.1% and a predicted 29.0%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Sebastian County, the median household income is $57,790, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of people live in poverty. WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 44 public schools in the county.
Nearest public school: TILLES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, about 0.2 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Local comparison: WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 3rd of 8 nearby schools, at 27.1% versus a 24.9% average.
NCES assigns WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL the locale City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
In 2020-21, WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolled 695; in 2024-25, 711.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL covering things like sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Sebastian County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
128,900
Census ACS
Median income
$57,790
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
44
20,239 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT
- NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,231 students
- SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,053 students
- RAMSEY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 801 students
- DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- L. A. CHAFFIN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 582 students
Other schools in FORT SMITH
- NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,231 students
- SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,053 students
- RAMSEY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 801 students
- DORA KIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- L. A. CHAFFIN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 753 students
- FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 582 students
Nearby schools
- TILLES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.2 mi · 343
- FUTURE SCHOOL OF FORT SMITH0.5 mi · 235
- HOWARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.6 mi · 299
- NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL0.7 mi · 2,231
- BELLE POINT ALTERNATIVE CENTER1.0 mi · 39
- INSTITUTE FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS SCHOOL1.2 mi · 49
Frequently asked questions
About WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOLWhat is the total enrollment at WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 711 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Approximately 12.5:1 students per teacher at WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
How diverse is WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL reports a student body of 30% White, 50% Hispanic, 9% Black, 1% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
WILLIAM O. DARBY MIDDLE SCHOOL is overseen by FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT in Sebastian County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.