Editing Fort Smith, Arkansas (section)

==Education==

===Higher education===
[[File:Bell Tower (night).jpg|right|thumb|Reynolds Bell Tower]]

The city has one major university that is part of the [[University of Arkansas System]]. The [[University of Arkansas – Fort Smith|University of Arkansas at Fort Smith]] was founded in 1928 as an extension of the Fort Smith Public School system, with the superintendent, James William Ramsey, acting as the college president and the high school principal as dean. Known originally as '''Fort Smith [[Community college|Junior College]]''', the institution operated within the Fort Smith public school system until 1950, when the school was incorporated as a private, nonprofit institution with its own governing board. In September 1952, the college moved from borrowed facilities in the high school to its current site, initially occupying {{convert|15|acres|2|abbr=on|lk=out}}.

In 1966, the institution's name was changed from Fort Smith Junior College to '''Westark Junior College''' and in 1972, it was renamed '''Westark Community College''', indicating the larger area to be served and reflecting the more comprehensive mission.

The name of the college was changed yet again in February 1998 to '''Westark College''', more accurately portraying the role and scope of the institution.

On December 15, 2000, the Board of Trustees of Westark College entered into an agreement with the Board of Trustees of the [[University of Arkansas]] to merge with the [[University of Arkansas System]] as a four-year institution. In 2001, the Sebastian County electorate voted to support the merger. A formal request to change affiliation status to that of a bachelor's degree-granting institution under the name of the '''University of Arkansas at Fort Smith''' was submitted to the Higher Learning Commission in August 2001 and approved by the Institutional Actions Council on November 19, 2001.

The merger, which became official on January 1, 2002, endorsed the concept of UA-Fort Smith as a unique university, one that offers applied and traditional baccalaureate degree programs, one- and two-year associate and technical programs, and noncredit business and industry training programs. While the [[University of Arkansas at Fort Smith]] is the city's only state supported institution of higher learning.

In addition to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS), the [[Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine]] (ARCOM), a private, non-profit institution, welcomed its inaugural class in August 2017. Graduates of ARCOM receive a [[Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine]] (DO) degree.

===Elementary and secondary education===
The public schools in the majority of Fort Smith, as well as a section of [[Barling, Arkansas|Barling]], are operated by the [[Fort Smith School District]].<ref name=CensusSchoolMap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st05_ar/schooldistrict_maps/c05131_sebastian/DC20SD_C05131.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sebastian County, AR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=September 19, 2022}}</ref> Currently, the district includes 26 schools. During the 2019–2020 school year, the district had an enrollment of more than 14,748 students. It has 2 high schools, 4 middle schools, 19 elementary schools, and 1 alternative learning center.

Fort Smith public schools provide education from kindergarten through the 12th grade, as do some private [[Protestant]] schools. [[Catholic]] parochial schools offer education through the ninth grade.

Middle Schools in Fort Smith include Chaffin Middle School, Ramsey Middle School, Kimmons Middle School, and Darby Middle School.
Private schools covering the same grade range include Trinity Catholic School, Union Christian Academy, and Northside Christian Academy.

High schools in Fort Smith include the public [[Northside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas)|Northside High School]] and [[Southside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas)|Southside High School]], along with the private [[Union Christian Academy]] and Northside Christian Academy.

Some portions of Fort Smith in the south are zoned to [[Greenwood School District (Arkansas)|Greenwood School District]].<ref name=CensusSchoolMap/>

Fort Smith previously had a Catholic grade school for black children, St. John the Baptist School; it closed in 1968.<ref name=HargettLastBlackCath>{{cite news|author=Hargett, Malea|url=http://www.arkansas-catholic.org/news/article/2994/States-last-black-Catholic-school-to-close|title=State's last black Catholic school to close|newspaper=[[Arkansas Catholic]]|date=May 12, 2012|access-date=July 31, 2017}}</ref>