Colleges and universities 

Law, medicine, philosophy, criminal justice, automotive technology, dental hygiene — whatever it is you want to study, you’ll probably find a program for it at one of Central Arkansas’s colleges and universities. 

The Clinton School of Public Service, a graduate program that’s part of the University of Arkansas system, is now in its third year of operation. It has quickly made a name for itself in the wider community through frequent lectures, all open to the public, featuring well-known figures from the world of public service.  

Little Rock is also home to two other University of Arkansas campuses.  

IN THE CLASSROOM: Learning Spanish at Hall High.

About 400 students attend UALR’s Bowen School of Law in downtown Little Rock, one of only two law schools in the state. 

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has five colleges and graduate schools to train nurses, physicians, paramedics, pharmacists and other health professionals.  

About 12,000 students attend classes at Pulaski Technical College, the state’s largest and fastest-growing two-year institution. The school offers more than 50 degree and certificate programs at its main campus in North Little Rock and at satellite locations around Pulaski and Saline counties. The school also provides specialized training for area business and industry. 

Two historically black private colleges are also located in the county. Philander Smith, in downtown Little Rock, was founded in 1877 to educate former slaves. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is the only school in Arkansas that is a member of the United Negro College Fund. 

Arkansas Baptist College is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist Consolidated Convention. The school added a football program for the 2007-08 school year that drew several hundred new students.  

Private technical/career colleges locally include ITT Technical Institute, Remington College and the Eastern College of Health Vocations. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Pulaski County public school students attend school in three districts, including the state’s two largest, the Little Rock School District and the Pulaski County Special School District. The Arkansas River divides the Little Rock district and the North Little Rock School District, with the Pulaski County district forming a kind of donut around them.  

There are also six inter-district magnet schools located in Little Rock that draw students from all over the county, as well as three open-enrollment charter schools that by law must accept any student in the state. Here’s some basic information about each district: 

Little Rock: Despite a controversial year that included the ouster of its superintendent, the state’s largest district, now led by interim Superintendent Linda Watson, saw enrollment figures rise for the 2007-08 school year, from 25,500 to 25,738 students. The school board will be searching this year for a permanent superintendent, as well as planning a new elementary school in West Little Rock, which will be the first new construction in the district since 1978. Currently, the district has 31 elementary schools, seven middle schools and five high schools, including historic Central High, as well as two early childhood centers, a career-technical center, an accelerated learning center and two alternative learning centers. Eighteen of those schools are magnets with a special curriculum focus, including six that are open to students from the North Little Rock and Pulaski County districts. For more information, call the district at 447-1000 or visit its web site, www.lrsd.org. 

North Little Rock: About 9,000 students are enrolled in this district, which has 13 elementary schools, an early childhood center, four middle schools (one of which serves all the district’s sixth-grade students), one high school (split into two campuses, one for grades 9-10 and one for grades 11-12) and an alternative school. The superintendent is Kenneth Kirspel. For more information, call 771-8000 or visit www.nlrsd.k12.ar.us. 

Pulaski County Special School District: The second-largest district in the state, PCSSD includes the cities of Maumelle and Jacksonville. It has about 17,400 students in 24 elementary schools, seven middle schools, six high schools and one alternative learning school. The superintendent is James R. Sharpe. For more information, call 490-2000 or visit www.pcssdweb.k12.ar.us. 

Private schools 

PRE-K-12 

There are several dozen private schools in Central Arkansas — religious and secular, small and large, with tuition costs that are equally varied.  

Most are religious, including schools affiliated with the Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Muslim, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of Christ and non-denominational Christian faiths. There are several non-sectarian schools as well, including one of Little Rock’s largest private schools, Pulaski Academy. The K-12 school on Hinson Road in West Little Rock has more than 1,000 students, and is planning to expand into the adjacent campus of Fellowship Bible Church, which it purchased In 2006. Other large schools include Little Rock Christian, located on Highway 10 in West Little Rock, and Central Arkansas Christian Schools in North Little Rock. The Academy at Riverdale, founded by the late Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller and his wife, Lisenne, is a K-12 school for children with developmental disabilities. 

For a list of private schools that are accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic Schools Accrediting Association, call 803-3888 or visit www.ansaa.com.