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Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts

Established: 1993
Joined System: 2004
asmsa.org

At a Glance

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) is the state’s premier high school focusing on excellence in math, science and the arts. Located in Hot Springs, ASMSA is one of 15 public residential high schools in the United States specializing in the education of gifted and talented students who have an interest and aptitude for mathematics and science as well as a passion for creativity and the arts. All classes are taught at the college level, and the school offers nearly 60 courses for university credit. Through the school’s College Bridge program, ASMSA graduates average 50 hours of college credit while finishing high school.

Points of Pride

  • ASMSA has been recognized by The Washington Post, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast among the Top 25 public high schools in the U.S.
  • ASMSA is committed to promoting both access and success for high-ability, low-income students.  One-in-three ASMSA students qualify for school meal programs. The school leads its benchmark institutions in representation of low-income students and doubles the national average.
  • ASMSA has been recognized by the Computer Science Teacher’s Association and Code.org with an inaugural Champion of Computer Science award for leadership in computer Science education advocacy.  Nearly half of Arkansas’ recently certified computer science teachers have received training and support through the school’s distance education and educator development programs. ASMSA’s residential and digital learning programs account for 20% of the Arkansas’ high school computer science enrollment.
  • Over the past five years, more than 300 students and staff have traveled abroad through the school’s Global Learning Program.  Partnerships with the Hot Springs Sister City Program, National Security Language Initiative for Youth, Kakehashi Project, Confucius Institute and Youth for Understanding ensure students are able to experience the world and understand their role in a global society. ASMSA is the only high school in Arkansas to offer local Japanese language instruction.
  • ASMSA’s Research in the Park program is a unique collaboration between the school and Hot Springs National Park.  Students conduct hybrid research and service learning projects on water quality, wildlife, invasive species and other topics.  Students received the George and Helen Hartzog Award for Youth Group Volunteerism from the National Park Service.