Arkansas Baptist School System

Arkansas Baptist High School survives under the blanket of values and Christianity. The simple fact is that the staff is extremely underqualified, under supported and the hierarchy of the school system is failing. A lack of funds cause stress and strain on teachers who are already not prepared for their job, professionally or otherwise. If you want your student to learn values, but nothing in the classroom, AB is the place.
—Submitted by a parent

We left AB due to bullying issues. We addressed these concerns with the principal and superintendent and yet nothing was done about the issue. The quote we got back was "These issues normally don't start until 8th grade, but this year it has been 7th grade and 7th grade girls have been the worst." No disciplinary action was taken against the students doing the bullying. Conincidently, I know of 5 other families that have removed their children from AB as well for the same issues. My child attended AB for 9 years before we left.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended Arkansas Baptist from K-4 through High School graduation. I can say from first hand experience that the leadership at AB is outstanding. The teachers go out of their way and above their means to reach out to the students. Obviously some are more natural than others, but they truly care about the kids. Having grown up my whole life in it & being involved first hand, I can easily say that God used ABSS to make me into the person that I am today.
—Submitted by a student

The teachers are very loving toward the students. This school has tremendous parental involvement. I feel that my daughters have been challenged to do their best, We've been at ABSS for 8 years, and we are very happy!
—Submitted by a parent

I have a son who just finished kindergarten and we LOVE Arkansas Baptist! He prays for others and has such a sweet attitude. I know that the teachers truely care about each student. My daughter will be starting K3 in the fall and I am confident that she will learn the love and respect for others that my son has.
—Submitted by a parent

If you are in the Central Arkansas area and have children, you need to visit Arkansas Baptist Elementary and High Schools. Our three children have thrived in this loving and caring academic environment. When they say 'Trust us with their minds and we'll give them our hearts...' they mean it.
—Submitted by a parent

I've been involved with this school for 10 years. If you can look at the actual school and not the older building it is within, you will see a phenomenal school. This school has the higher expectations that used to be in place, not the dumb-downed curriculum that began when the 'everyone must excel' attitude prevailed. BUT everyone can excel in this school if they work hard. My kids are all different, but have all done well in this school. If you are looking for consistency, this is the school for you, especially in the most recent years when Mr. Bennett and Mr. Goldsmith came. The teachers at this school care about the education of the child as well as the well-being, but they do not let the former suffer. This school also offers top-notch fine arts programs, something lacking in many schools in the central Arkansas area, publ
—Submitted by a parent

My child has been attending ABSS for the past two years. The loving support provided by the teachers and the very strong academic curriculum provide an excellent learning environment for any child. I have volunteered for lunch and recess duty and have had the chance to see many interactions between the students and their teachers. I leave with the knowledge that despite the many choices of private schools in this area, I was fortunate to find this little gem of a school.
—Submitted by a parent

The K4 program here is the best you'll find anywhere. My daughter loves school now, and I attribute that to the environment that was established early on. If you have a child who is well-behaved and has a natural curiosity for learning, you will be pleased to see what the results are! The teachers do not spend all of their class time dealing with disruptive kids (like in many places) because they train the students from an early age and deal with them before they become a problem for the other students.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been at Arkansas Baptist for 4 to 6 six years. Both have received very personal attention academically and have each been specifically challenged where requested. Both children feel secure in the environment and enjoy going to school. Every teacher that we've had so far have gone above and beyond our expectations. The compassion is just unbelievable. We've also been pleased with the test results, both for our children and the school as a whole.
—Submitted by a parent

We enrolled my son for the Pre-K program and were really disappointed. We went in knowing that they were very academic minded, but we really feel that they overdo it, especially for the 4 year olds. When my son didn't finish his work in time, they made him sit indoors and finish it while his classmates had recess. The other children ignored him (I believe because of this) and my confident, happy son became very quiet and insecure. We tried to work out an alternate way, such as finishing work at home, but neither the teacher nor his principal would agree to it. We pulled him out quickly at that point. Please research carefully into child development studies before enrolling your child in this school. This harsher form of learning can cause more harm than good and can affect the rest of their lives.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Ark Bapt for 9 years. The teachers love & care about the students. When my child was having separation issues, the teacher took me & my child out for ice cream to help her feel more comfortable. When my other child was in 5th grade, the teacher helped my shy child to be a leader and speak up in class by encouraging her with notes & extra responsibilities. The Jr.High is similar to a youth group atmosphere. Your child will get out of school what they put into it. If they participate in activities and try, they will enjoy ABSS. Mr. Goldsmith, the high school principal is a fair caring man. The curriculum is challenging and well balanced. Our test scores are way above the norm and reflect the excellent teaching and administration. ABSS is a loving excellent school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school offers alot for it's size. Even though some other schools are much bigger this school competes well in sports, music and academics. The one thing I have to say is that if you are looking for a private school with a great BAND, PICK THIS SCHOOL. The band has grown from nothing to 52 members in just 2 Years!
—Submitted by a parent

We were very excited to have our 2nd grade child enrolled in this school but that excitement soon dissipated. The unprofessionalism demonstrated by the teacher, principal, and superintendant were disconcerting, but the real issue was ABSS's complete lack of regard for my child's well being to include taunting, namecalling, unjust and improper discipline. We were left with no choice but to take our child out of this school. Christian standards in words but not in practice. The hypocrisy demonstrated at ABSS is very disappointing.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has just begun kindergarten this year, and is gifted. Her teacher is extremely qualified, and is prepared to challenge my daughter and help her excel in her schoolwork. The principal has been very personable and helpful, even calling a few times just to see how things are going for our family. There are have already been several opportunities for me to get involved at the school as well. The PTF is very active, and the communication between school and home is excellent. My daughter loves school, adores her teacher, and is thriving. ABSS is an excellent school, and we plan to keep our daughter there as long as we can.
—Submitted by a parent

When it came time to enroll in school, we had no idea of what to do. After talking with friends, coworkers and our church family, we landed Arkansas Baptist. Knowing the responsibility that God gave our family and the hopes and dreams that we had for our children, he led us to this wonderful school. Arkansas Baptist is committed to the education of our children in all areas and communicate to us that they are there to HELP educate our children. There are many opportunities to grow in their faith, academic programs that challenge, extracurricular activities for diversity in our students as well as a special program for students with learning difficulties (SOAR). There are even children attending other private schools that are enrolled in Arkansas Baptist s SOAR Program. That tells you of the quality, commitment, and integrity of this school. God is definitely at work at Arkansas Baptist School System.
—Submitted by Patience Holt, a teacher

We attended this school for four years. 2 good years, 1 bad year and the last year we knew that God was telling us it was not the place for our family. I agree with the person that said values are taught in this school, but not lived by example. Behavior of students tend to follow the behavior of their leaders and less of what they are taught from books. We did not feel our children were emotionally or physically safe in this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My children attended Ab for several years. We have been very unhappy for most of them. In our opinion the children are over disciplined, over stressed, and over worked. The expectations are rediculous. The teachers seem to be worn out and unhappy. I hope and Pray the new leadership can change the direction the school is going! I also Very much agree with the jealousy and anger issues with other schools stated by previous people.
—Submitted by a parent

Arkansas Baptist went through some tough years, when our school outgrew our leadership. Our High Principal, at the time,who was a good administrator had no clue how to relate to our parents and kids. However that changed in 2005 when we hired Arthur Bennett at Superintendant and Randy Goldsmith as High School Principal. You will not find better leaders in any other Christian School. The excitement has returned to our school, our enrollment is higher than ever. We have teachers that truly love our kids. My children have been here since K-4 and my oldest who will be graduating this year has a 4.1 gpa and is a kind loving christian young man...........I don't know what else you can ask for in a school. There isn't a school in Little Rock, that does not go through some
—Submitted by Jacki Bruning, a parent

We have attended this school for three years, it is a good school, a very advanced curriculum, and very high expectations, sometimes too high. There is an issue with what the previous person stated, and it is very unfortunite. All in all, this school is good, there is a small class to teacher ratio, and high parent envolvement. They are also very strict with discipline.
—Submitted by a parent