About Arkansas

Education

Arkansas has a strong commitment to provide every citizen with the opportunity for lifelong learning, from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary and on to continuing education. Arkansas is ranked sixth in the nation among 50 states and the District of Columbia in Education Week's 2011 "Quality Counts" index, commonly referred to as the nation's education report card. Arkansas's overall score was 81.4, well over the national average of 76.3.

Approximately one-third of the 10,635 students in Arkansas's class of 2010 taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations scored a three or higher on a five-point scale. Arkansas's percentage of graduating students who take the exam - 34 percent - is higher than the national average of 28.3 percent.

Elementary/Secondary Education

The Arkansas legislature requires that the state's education system produce academically competent students who can demonstrate their competency in a core curriculum and apply their knowledge and skills. Arkansas is supporting students, teachers and school administrators through top-notch curriculum development and ongoing, research-based learning opportunities for educators.

Through programs like the Advanced Placement Strategies Grant, high-school students in Arkansas have improved their Advanced Placement test scores by almost 10 percent.

A successful elementary school experience is the foundation for the rest of a child's education. And to ensure all students are ready to learn in the early grades, Arkansas provides pre-school programs for at-risk students, from birth through 5 years old, through the Arkansas Better Chance program. The program is ranked among the Top 10 programs in the country.

Arkansas was one of the first states in the nation to establish a residential public high school for academically advanced juniors and seniors. The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts in Hot Springs consistently ranks among the top 1 percent of schools in the nation. The school also serves as a training center for teachers to develop curriculum and offers extensive statewide distance learning.

Through advanced technology, Arkansas students excel in rural as well as urban school districts. Almost 200 Arkansas schools offer Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST), a nationally acclaimed program supported by a collaborative partnership involving Intergraph Corporation, several universities and the Arkansas Department of Education. In project-based lab classes, students use geographic information systems (GIS) and computer-aided design (CAD) to develop real-world applications for community projects.

Arkansas has restructured high school vocational education to help students make a smoother transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the workplace. Career opportunities, "High Schools that Work," and youth apprenticeship are part of this systemic change that provides students with academically challenging courses.

Higher Education

In Arkansas there are 22 two-year colleges, 10 universities, a medical school, and two law schools, as well as 11 independent colleges and universities.

The Southern Regional Education Board has measured increases in degrees awarded by public two- and four-year institutions in 16 southern states. Arkansas ranked first in the region for its increase in degrees awarded at our four-year institutions, and second for our increase in degrees at two-year institutions.

In 2011, The University of Arkansas was listed in the highest of 33 possible classifications in the "Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching," which publishes the widely accepted classification of the nation's 4,633 universities and colleges. The university is one of only 108 public and private universities and colleges in the U.S. to receive the top classification.

Workforce Education

Workforce development is a priority of the state's technical colleges and institutes, which work with local business and industry to meet existing and new workforce needs. More than 95 percent of the state's population lives within a 30-mile radius of one of these institutions. More information about Arkansas's workforce education is available here.