Pulaski County Special School District No. 1 (PCSSD) is one of four public

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

s in

Pulaski County, Arkansas Pulaski County is located in the U.S. state of Arkansas with a population of 399,125, making it the most populous county in Arkansas. The county is included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock– Conway metropolitan area. Its county seat is L ...

—along with the

Little Rock School District The Little Rock School District is a school district in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It is one of four public school districts in Pulaski County and encompasses of land nearly coterminous with the state's capital and largest city. In ...

, the

North Little Rock School District North Little Rock School District (NLRSD) is a public school district headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. History LRSD vs. PCSSD (desegregation) The three school districts within the county—Little Rock School Dist ...

, and the

Jacksonville North Pulaski School District Jacksonville North Pulaski School District (JNPSD) is a public school district system located in Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA. The district serves the city of Jacksonville and a portion of northeastern Pulaski County. Upon detachment from Pula ...

—accredited by the

Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. PCSSD has its headquarters in

Sweet Home Sweet Home or Sweethome may refer to: Places in the United States * Sweet Home, Arkansas * Sweet Home Central School District in Amherst and Tonawanda, New York ** Sweet Home High School (Amherst, New York), a New York State public high school * ...

, an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

near southeastern

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

; the headquarters has a Little Rock postal address. The current Pulaski County Special School District was established on July 21, 1927, by referendum pursuant of Act 152 of the 1927 Arkansas Acts by the

Arkansas legislature The General Assembly of Arkansas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 10 ...

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 most areas of the county—incorporated and unincorporated—excluding most areas within the city limits of

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Cammack Village Cammack Village is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 768 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area. History Cammack Village is located on land originally ...

, most areas within the city of

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, and a section of McAlmont.

History

LRSD vs. PCSSD (Desegregation)

Prior to July 1, 2016, the three school districts within the county—

(LRSD),

(NLRSD), and Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD)—have been involved in a

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

case that the courts determined were unconstitutionally segregated and placed under court supervision since 1982. The Pulaski County Special School District had a segregated administrative structure well into the late 1970s. Viola Harris was the Assistant Superintendent for the segregated schools located in the rural predominantly Black communities of Pulaski County encompassing College Station, Sweet Home, Pankey, McAlmont and others. The Black teachers and principals reported to Viola Harris, and were paid significantly less than their white counterparts in the Pulaski County Special School District. The current Harris Elementary School was named to honor Viola Harris and her dedication to the education of Black students in the rural communities of Pulaski County. Students in the Black Schools received the discarded and outdated textbooks from the white schools in the PCSSD. The desegregation litigation sought remedies for these historical disparities. After numerous actions were satisfied, the courts determined that LRSD to be unitary (or integrated) 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

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.

Service area

This district boundary includes, in addition to the Sweet Home CDP, the entirety of the Pulaski County municipalities of Maumelle,

Sherwood Sherwood may refer to: Places Australia *Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Sherwood, South Australia, a locality *Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland *Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district from ...

(including the former Gravel Ridge CDP), and Wrightsville, as well as portions of Little Rock and North Little Rock.Take:
SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Pulaski County, AR
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Retrieved on May 27, 2018. and compare to: which shows which areas were taken by the

. It also includes the portion of

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

in Pulaski County, which is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

. It also includes the census-designated places of Sweet Home, College Station, Hensley,

Landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

(formerly Parkers-Iron Springs), Natural Steps,

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

, and Woodson, as well as portions of McAlmont and the Pulaski County portion of Scott. Other unincorporated areas include Crystal Hill, and Ironton. - See Ironton on the map. The district extends into Saline County, where it serves a portion of Shannon Hills,SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Saline County, AR
"

. Retrieved on May 24, 2018. into

Lonoke County Lonoke County is located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,356, making it the 11th-most populous of Arkansas's 75 counties. The county seat is Lonoke and largest city is ...

, which includes its portion of Scott CDP, and into Faulkner County.

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 Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit that indicates the workload of an employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to measure a wo ...

teachers, with a steady reduction of the pupil/teacher ratio from 16.60 to 1 (1997–98) to 14.84 to 1 (2011–12).

Schools

High schools

The Pulaski County Special School District maintains four comprehensive public

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. In 2011–12, PCSSD closed 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. Joe T. Robinson High School moved to new facilities starting in the 1981–82 school year. North Pulaski High School was established in 1977, Wilbur D. Mills High School opened in 1969, and Sylvan Hills High School was founded in 1956 and moved to newer 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 (now serving as Jacksonville Middle School) until the start of the 1969–70 school year, when it moved to 2400 Linda Lane. Jacksonville High School was removed from the Pulaski County Special School District on July 1, 2016, as part of the formation of the

. 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 School. The Fuller Middle School students moved into the old buildings of Mills High School, becoming Mills Middle School. The assumed course of study for students at each high school follows the Smart Core curriculum developed by the

(ADE), 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 (ACE), the Standards of Accreditation of Public Schools require that each school offer three programs of study in three different occupational pathway areas. * Wilbur D. Mills High School offered 13 programs of study in 13 different pathways. * North Pulaski High School offered 12 programs of study in 12 different pathways. * Joe T. Robinson High School offered 10 programs of study in 10 different pathways. * Sylvan Hills High School offered 9 programs of study in 9 different pathways. * Sylvan Hills Freshman Campus offered in 10 program 6 different pathways.

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 (1955-1967) / middle school (1967-2011) 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. † denotes

Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-re ...

school

Elementary schools

The Pulaski County Special School District operates 16 elementary schools including several

magnet schools In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

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 The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, followed by a National Blue Ribbon School designation for Arnold Drive Elementary School in 2010. Sherwood Elementary's

Odyssey of the Mind Odyssey of the Mind, abbreviated OM or OotM, is a creative problem-solving program involving students from kindergarten through college. Team members work together at length to solve a predefined long-term problem and present their solution to t ...

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. 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. † denotes

school

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 J. C. Cook High School (a

Black school Black schools, also referred to as "colored" schools, were racially segregated schools in the United States that originated after the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. The phenomenon began in the late 1860s during Reconstruction era ...

in Wrightsville) was closed as a result of desegregation and repurposed as an integrated J. C. Cook Elementary School until 1976. * In 1963, Pulaski County Training School (a Black school) was renamed as Harris High School. * In 1970, Harris High School was repurposed as Harris Elementary School. * In 1971, McAlmont High School (grades 7–12) was closed as a result of desegregation. * In 1987, J.A. Fair High School (opened in 1982), and John L. McClellan High School (opened in 1965) were annexed to Little Rock School District. * In 2011, Oak Grove High School was closed as a result of opening nearby Maumelle High School. * In 2016,

North Pulaski High School North Pulaski High School was a public secondary school located in Jacksonville, Arkansas and served students in grades 9 through 12. North Pulaski was administered by the Pulaski County Special School District. Since 1979, North Pulaski has b ...

was merged with Jacksonville High School as a part of the

. * The Sweet Home community had a high school populated by students from College Station Elementary School. ;Former middle schools * In 2001, Sylvan Hills Junior High School (grades 7–9) becomes Sylvan Hills Middle School (grades 6–8). * In 2011, Sylvan Hills Middle School closes its facilities at 401 Dee Jay Hudson Drive; reopens for 2011–12 school year at its new facilities across AR Highway 107 at 10001 Johnson Street. * In 2015 Northwood Middle School was repurposed as Sylvan Hills Freshman Campus due to a large portion of the student population being reallocated to the new Jacksonville North Pulaski School District. The remainder were assigned to Sylvan Hills Middle School. * Jacksonville Middle School is now in the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District. ;Former elementary schools * In 1971, McAlmont Elementary School is closed. * In 1976, J. C. Cook Elementary School is closed. * In 1987, Mabelvale Elementary School annexed to Little Rock School District with the opening of Daisy Bates Elementary School. * In 2006, Homer Adkins Elementary School was converted into a Pre-K school * In 2011, Jacksonville Elementary School is closed. * In 2014, Scott Elementary is closed

References

External links

*
NCES Common Core of Data webpage

ED/IES/NCES Report: Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2002–03
Appendix A. The 500 largest public school districts in the United States and jurisdictions, by school district: School year 2002–03 {{Authority control Education in Pulaski County, Arkansas Education in Faulkner County, Arkansas Education in Lonoke County, Arkansas Education in Saline County, Arkansas School districts in Arkansas School districts established in 1927 1927 establishments in Arkansas Education in Little Rock, Arkansas