SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Another round of kids headed back to the classroom on Monday, Aug. 12, including the largest district in the state, Springdale.
One of the biggest updates for Springdale this year is the new facilities.
George Elementary was hit by a tornado in March 2022, and the district rebuilt most of the school. The new part of the building will be open to students for the 2024-25 school year.
The new school year also brings new buildings at Central Junior High and Southwest Junior High. Both projects have been in the works for several years.
At Springdale High School, students and teachers will be using a new academic wing and new gym this year.
Communications director Trent Jones said these buildings are meant to last for generations to come.
“Just for some perspective, those original buildings were built in the 60s, so if you kind of do the math, this building that opens this year should last until 2080 something,” Jones said. “You really start thinking about the generations of people these buildings will touch and how it will impact our community. We're really excited about that.”
In this school year, Springdale is also introducing a new cell phone policy, which leaders said will help high school students put their phones away at the beginning of the school day and focus on academics.
The district is also continuing new things from last year, including ‘early-out Wednesdays’ and the new bus routes. Springdale Schools are looking for bus drivers for the new school year, and applications are open on the district’s website.
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