Best public high schools in Arkansas
As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Arkansas using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
Editor's note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in Arkansas had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
#30. Taylor High School
- District: Emerson-Taylor School District
- Enrollment: 206 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#29. Cabot High School
- District: Cabot School District
- Enrollment: 2,211 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#28. Russellville High School
- District: Russellville School District
- Enrollment: 1,166 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#27. Fayetteville Virtual Academy
- District: Fayetteville School District
- Enrollment: 466 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#26. eStem High Public Charter School
- District: eStem Public Charter School
- Enrollment: 550 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#25. Founders Classical Academy of Rogers
- District: Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas
- Enrollment: 205 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#24. Greenbrier High School
- District: Greenbrier School District
- Enrollment: 794 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#23. Bryant High School
- District: Bryant School District
- Enrollment: 2,036 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#22. Springdale School of Innovations
- District: Springdale School District
- Enrollment: 4,029 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#21. Rogers High School
- District: Rogers School District
- Enrollment: 2,024 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
#20. Har-Ber High School
- District: Springdale School District
- Enrollment: 2,147 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#19. Lakeside High School
- District: Lakeside School District (Hot Springs)
- Enrollment: 1,371 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#18. Conway High School
- District: Conway School District
- Enrollment: 2,159 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#17. LISA Academy North Middle-High School - High School
- District: LISA Academy Public Charter School District
- Enrollment: 286 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#16. Benton High School
- District: Benton School District
- Enrollment: 1,239 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#15. Cabot Freshman Academy
- District: Cabot School District
- Enrollment: 830 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#14. Greenwood High School
- District: Greenwood School District
- Enrollment: 852 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#13. Southside High School
- District: Fort Smith School District
- Enrollment: 1,358 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#12. Arkansas Arts Academy High School
- District: Benton County School of Arts
- Enrollment: 637 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#11. Central High School
- District: Little Rock School District
- Enrollment: 2,476 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#10. Fayetteville High School
- District: Fayetteville School District
- Enrollment: 2,530 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#9. Founders Classical Academy of Bentonville
- District: Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas
- Enrollment: 698 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#8. Haas Hall Academy Jones Center
- District: Haas Hall Academy
- Enrollment: 226 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#7. Bentonville West High School
- District: Bentonville Public Schools
- Enrollment: 2,158 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#6. Rogers New Technology High School
- District: Rogers School District
- Enrollment: 655 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#5. Bentonville High School
- District: Bentonville Public Schools
- Enrollment: 3,086 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#4. Haas Hall Academy At The Lane
- District: Haas Hall Academy
- Enrollment: 331 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#3. Haas Hall Academy Bentonville
- District: Haas Hall Academy
- Enrollment: 406 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#2. Haas Hall Academy
- District: Haas Hall Academy
- Enrollment: 444 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts
- City: Hot Springs
- Enrollment: 207 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
