The fringe town of Prairie Grove saw its first school established by the Cumberland Presbyterian church around 1831. The building was later demolished and another combination church / school building was built on the site in the late 1800s. Each of these schools taught students only at the elementary level. In 1883, the Prairie Grove Institute, also known as the Methodist Academy, established the community’s first school that taught all twelve grades. In 1901, the institute became part of the Prairie Grove School District. The public school system started around 1900, and five students became charter members of the first graduating class in 1905. In 1911, a three-story school was erected at the site of the Methodist Academy and remained in use until the early 1950s when new buildings were constructed north of downtown. In fall 2004, a new high school building was built that remains in use.
The assumed course of study follows the Smart Core curriculum developed the Arkansas Department of Education, which requires students to complete 22 credit units before graduation. Students engage in regular and career focus courses and exams and may select Advanced Placement coursework and exams that provide an opportunity to receive college credit. According to the student handbook, exceptional students may be awarded an honors diploma based on participation in 12 of the 26 offered AP courses and grade point averages resulting in three awards: Honors diploma, Honors Graduate status or Highest Honors Graduate status. Twenty-six AP, pre-AP or honor courses are offered to include:
In 2012, Prairie Grove School District and its high school were recognized in the AP District of the Year Awards program in the College Board's 3rd Annual Honor Roll that consisted of 539 U.S. public school districts that simultaneously achieved increases in access to AP® courses for a broader number of students and improved the rate at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam.
Extracurricular activities
The Prairie Grove High School mascot is the tiger with school colors of black and gold.
Athletics
For the 2012–14 school years, the Prairie Grove Tigers participate in the 4A Classification within the 4A Region 1 Conference as administered by the Arkansas Activities Association. The Tigers compete in various interscholastic activities including football, volleyball, golf, cross country, basketball, baseball, fastpitch softball, tennis, track and field, and competitive cheer. In March 2010, Prairie Grove won its first Class 4A championship in girls basketball. In December 2011, Prairie Grove won the 4A state championship for competitive cheer.
