Pulaski County Special School District


Pulaski County Special School District is one of four public school districts in Pulaski County, Arkansas—along with the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock School District, and the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District—accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education. PCSSD has its headquarters in Sweet Home, an unincorporated area near southeastern Little Rock.
The current Pulaski County Special School District was established in July 21, 1927 by referendum pursuant of Act 152 of the 1927 Arkansas Acts by the Arkansas legislature joining thirty-eight independent school districts into a "special" school district. As of 2019-20, PCSSD has the sixth-highest student enrollment in the state. Geographically, PCSSD is the state's fifth largest district and encompasses a total, and includes all areas of the county—incorporated and unincorporated—excluding most areas within the city limits of Little Rock, Cammack Village, most areas within the city of North Little Rock, and a section of McAlmont. This district enrolls students from Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Gravel Ridge, Scott, McAlmont, Maumelle, Mabelvale, Woodson, Sweet Home, College Station, Ironton, Cabot, Wrightsville, Shannon Hills, and Alexander.

History

LRSD vs. PCSSD (Desegregation)

Prior to July 1, 2016, the three school districts within the county—Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District, and Pulaski County Special School District —have been involved in a desegregation case that the courts determined were unconstitutionally segregated and placed under court supervision since 1982. After numerous actions were satisfied, the courts determined that LRSD to be unitary and generally coterminous with Little Rock's boundaries. In doing so, these actions led to the annexation of J. A. Fair High School and other schools from PCSSD to LRSD in 1987. In 2007, the courts determined that all actions by LRSD were completed and that court supervision continues until NLRSD and PCSSD actions are completed.

PCSSD school board dissolved

On May 19, 2011, the court determined that PCSSD had not completed nine of twelve actions required by court supervision with regards to being unitary in the desegregation case.
On June 20, 2011, the Arkansas Department of Education abolished and dissolved the PCSSD School Board and fired its current superintendent, Dr. Charles Hopson amid alleged financial troubles and the aforementioned lack of completing required desegregation actions. This also lead to the state department taking over the school district.

Enrollment

Since 1997–98, PCSSD has served approximately 17,500 to 20,000 students each year supported by approximately 1,100 to 1,400 full time equivalent teachers, with a steady reduction of the pupil/teacher ratio from 16.60 to 1 to 14.84 to 1.

Former schools

Primarily as a result of desegregation or the need to replace aging facilities, numerous facilities have been renamed or closed including the following:

Former high schools

The Pulaski County Special School District maintains four comprehensive public high schools. In 2011-12, PCSSD shutdown Oak Grove High School with the opening of the newly constructed Maumelle High School. The last school built in PCSSD prior to Maumelle High School was J. A. Fair High School, which subsequently moved to the Little Rock School District. The Joe T. Robinson High School moved to new facilities starting in the 1981–82 school year. The North Pulaski High School was established in 1977, Wilbur D. Mills High School opened in 1970, and Sylvan Hills High School was founded in 1956 and moved to its newest facilities in November 1968. Jacksonville High School was originally located on the site of present-day Jacksonville Elementary. Next, JHS moved to 1320 School Drive until the start of the 1969–70 school year, when it moved to 2400 Linda Lane. Jacksonville High School split off from Pulaski County Special School District on July 1, 2016, forming the new Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.
A new campus for Wilbur D Mills High School was opened in August 2018. The school was built on the grounds that formerly held Fuller Middle. The Fuller Middle student moved into the old buildings of Mills High School, becoming Mills Middle.
The assumed course of study for students at each high school follows the Smart Core curriculum developed by the Arkansas Department of Education, which requires each student to complete 22 units to graduate; 16 units are from the Smart Core and 6 units that are career focused in occupational pathway areas. According to the Arkansas Department of Career Education, the Standards of Accreditation of Public Schools require that each school offer three programs of study in three different occupational pathway areas. If a program is offered at a secondary vocational center, students must be enrolled in the 2010-11 school year.
School NameLocationGradesOpened/
Current Facility		NCES School IDCEEB CodeWebsite
Maumelle High SchoolMaumelle9–122011041861
Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High SchoolSweet Home 9–122018042390
Joe T. Robinson High SchoolUnincorporated9–121927 /
1980 		041430
Sylvan Hills High SchoolSherwood11–121956 /
1967 		041872
Sylvan Hills High School NorthGibson
9–102016TBATBA

Middle schools

In fall 2011, a new campus facility for Sylvan Hills Middle School opened for grades 6-8 students and staff, replacing the original high school / middle school facilities located adjacent to the Sylvan Hills High School and Sylvan Hills Elementary School campus.
In August 2018, Fuller Middle School moved into the old buildings of Mills High School, constructed in 1969. The school was renamed as Mills Middle. A new Robinson Middle School was also opened. Along with the new Mills High School, these schools cost about $80 million.
School NameLocationGradesNCES School IDWebsite
Fuller Middle School †Sweet Home 6–8
Maumelle Middle SchoolMaumelle6–8
Joe T. Robinson Middle SchoolUnincorporated6–8
Sylvan Hills Middle SchoolSherwood6–8

† denotes Title I school

Elementary schools

The Pulaski County Special School District operates 16 elementary schools including several magnet schools and specialty schools providing focus on particular subject areas. In 2008, the William Jefferson Clinton Elementary Magnet School was named a National Blue Ribbon School, followed by a National Blue Ribbon School designation for Arnold Drive Elementary School in 2010.
Sherwood Elementary's Odyssey of the Mind team takes the Arkansas State Tournament and went to the World Finals. Also, Dupree Elementary received a National School of Distinction status from the Schools Fight Hunger program.
Originally, Harris Elementary School named in honor of Viola H. Harris, a former administrator of the district and McAlmont Elementary School, served as Pulaski Technical School before being renamed as Harris High School starting in the fall of 1963 and lasting until 1970 when the district reorganized its facilities as a result of desegregation and the facility became an elementary school. The high school's mascot of the Panthers remains today as Harris Elementary School's mascot.
School NameLocationGradesNCES School IDWebsite
John W. Baker Inter-district Elementary SchoolLittle RockK–5
Daisy Bates Elementary School †UnincorporatedPK–5
Cato Elementary School †UnincorporatedPK–5
Chenal Elementary School †Little RockPK-5
William Jefferson Clinton Speech Communications and Technology Magnet Elementary School †SherwoodPK–5
College Station Magnet Elementary School †College StationPK–5
Crystal Hill Elementary School †North Little RockPK–5
Harris Health & Science Specialty Elementary School †McAlmont PK–5
Joe T. Robinson Elementary School †UnincorporatedPK–5
Landmark Fine Arts Specialty Elementary School †Landmark PK–5
Lawson Elementary School †UnincorporatedPK–5
Oak Grove Elementary School †UnincorporatedPK–5
Oakbrooke Elementary School †SherwoodPK–5
Pine Forest Elementary SchoolMaumellePK–5
Sherwood Elementary School †SherwoodPK–5
Sylvan Hills Elementary School †SherwoodPK–5

† denotes Title I school