Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · Mon, Nov 2, 2026
Lincoln school leaders want to know why families are not choosing the local school district and what the district can do to change that. The effort is tied to an Arkansas Department of Education initiative called EDGE, which the district hopes will give it an edge. The stated goal is to understand why families are taking their children elsewhere and to make changes in response. This story is available only to Democrat-Gazette subscribers, so the full details of the initiative are not included in the portion shown here. Families in Lincoln who are weighing their school options may want to follow how the district responds.
The Texarkana Arkansas School District is sending out a survey to learn why families choose to homeschool their children. The article itself is short and paywalled, so it does not give details about the survey's questions, timing or how families can respond. Families interested in the survey or in the district's reasons for asking should check with the district or read the full Texarkana Gazette report.
Arkansas lawmakers questioned state education officials Wednesday about whether the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program is straining public school budgets, as enrollment fell in 203 of the state's 265 public school districts. The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is proposing $52 million in declining-enrollment funding for fiscal 2028 and 2029, plus $70 million more for the EFA program, which would bring its total state funding to $379.4 million. EFA participation rose from 14,256 students in 2024–25 to 44,524 in 2025–26. Roughly one in four participants were public-school switchers, according to a state report. Little Rock's enrollment has fallen more than 21 percent since late 2013, partly due to demographic shifts and falling birth rates, according to a district report.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders says her signature education law, Arkansas LEARNS, is producing results, pointing to higher teacher pay, improved test scores and more education options. Her challengers question the Education Freedom Account program, which uses taxpayer dollars to help families pay for private education. Democrat Fred Love would stop the program by executive order and shift funds to public schools, while Libertarian Colt Shelby would keep school choice but add financial limits. Sanders rejects income limits, and the program's budget exceeds $300 million. A recent report found 74 percent of students receiving vouchers last school year were already in private schools or homeschooled.
The Little Rock School Board voted Thursday to close Western Hills, McDermott and Mabelvale elementary schools after the 2026-27 school year, as the district works to cut about $4 million to $7 million for long-term financial stability. District officials say the schools are under capacity and costly to run per student. A University of Arkansas report found about 4,500 Little Rock students, around 15%, used Educational Freedom Accounts in 2025-26, and the district's enrollment fell more than 21% from late 2013 to spring 2026, a decline attributed partly to demographic shifts and falling birth rates and partly to competition from private, charter and homeschool options. Some board members and parents worried the closures could drive enrollment down further, and a parent asked the district to track their impact on student outcomes.
A new annual report from the University of Arkansas finds that 74% of students who received an Educational Freedom Account in 2025-26 were already in private school, homeschooled or first-time kindergartners, while a quarter had attended public school the year before. Enrollment grew from 14,256 students in 2024-25 to 44,524 in 2025-26, the first year the program opened to all Arkansas students, and more than 55,000 students have been approved for 2026-27. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the program is improving student outcomes. Bill Kopsky of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel argued the report was not independent enough to be trustworthy. Parents surveyed praised the program's ease of use, though some reported slow reimbursements earlier this year.
The Little Rock School District is considering an elementary school partnership with Sankofa Learning Academy, a local microschool. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is reporting the story as subscriber-exclusive coverage, so the full details are available only to its paying subscribers. For families in Little Rock and across Arkansas, the report offers a look at how a public school district is weighing a possible partnership with a local microschool. Readers who want to know more about the proposal will need a Democrat-Gazette subscription to read the complete article.
The Arkansas State Legislature has posted an archive page for the House Education Committee, listing materials from past meetings, including minutes, presentations and reports. Listed topics include the 2026 Adequacy Study, teacher recruitment, retention and salaries, resource allocation, and accountability and achievement. Some meetings were held in Hot Springs, Judsonia, Marianna and Pine Bluff. The page says it comes from a previous legislative session and is kept for archive purposes only. It does not describe a new bill or set a deadline, but families can open the posted minutes and reports to see what the committee reviewed.
Arkansas education officials say families in the Educational Freedom Account program are now being reimbursed faster than they were in June, when some requests took months. Reimbursement requests through ClassWallet are now taking almost half the time they did then, and the Education Department's assistant commissioner for school choice, Darrell Smith, hopes to bring processing down to 25 days. Some families, including a Russellville parent whose homeschooled daughter is in the program, say recent reimbursements have gone smoothly. Parents with questions can now go to a new customer service center, and questions needing more research may take up to 48 hours to answer. Program officials are still developing an updated 2026-27 handbook and clearer guidance on eligible expenses.
ProPublica reporters and the Arkansas Times tested how easily a private school can be started in Arkansas by founding one of their own. Registering the Curiosity Academy took a few clicks on the secretary of state's website and a $45 fee, and the state's flag requirement cost about $49. No one asked about their teaching backgrounds or what they planned to teach, and the Education Department does not regulate private schools once they open. The reporters said they have no plans to enroll students. Arkansas now has more than 220 private schools, up from fewer than 100 in 2023, and 143 microschools were approved this year to accept tax dollars.
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