For decades, growth has been a constant for Bentonville Schools.
Enrollment grew by about 400 students this year and is projected to top 20,000 in the 2026–27 school year.
Administrators and school board members reviewed the latest enrollment projections from a consultant as well as the district’s facilities master plan at a work session Thursday night.
A particular focus during the conversation was high school enrollment, which is estimated to exceed existing building capacity in the 2030-2031 school year.
Instead of building a third high school, administrators have landed on a less traditional solution: building a new standalone campus dedicated solely to career training.
With a separate campus for career education, students would still attend Bentonville High School or Bentonville West High School and spend only part of their time on the new campus.
Perhaps the biggest benefit to this option would be cost savings from not having to build athletic and arts facilities at the new campus.
The district’s career training program is called Ignite. Students participating in the program, which enrolls 11th and 12th graders, already leave their home campus and travel off site to learn at one of five different sites. Enrollment in Ignite has grown significantly since the program was started in 2015, but student interest in the program is still greater than the number of available seats.
Other options remain on the table, including construction of a third traditional high school campus. However, Deputy Superintendent & CFO Janet Schwanhausser said a dedicated career training campus is the “preferred option,” and it now appears on the district’s updated facilities master plan.
This time last year, the board was having early discussions about how to address the problem. To stay ahead of capacity needs, a decision on which option to pursue will need to be made within the next 12 months, Schwanhausser said.
By The Numbers: The Next Ten Years
The district’s boundaries cover Bentonville, as well as parts of Centerton, Highfill, Bella Vista, Cave Springs, and a bit of Rogers.
Growth in the district in recent years has been at the edges of the district as families seek more affordable housing.
The estimates, prepared by RSP & Associates, are based on numerous factors including housing development statistics, birth rates, demographic trends, and land-use plans from local governments.
The consultants noted that estimates are subject to change, but said that their enrollment predictions made this time last year had a “99.7% accuracy” for this school year.
Here’s how the district expects to grow over the next ten years:
Elementary enrollment is projected to grow by about 1,500 students. While no new construction is expected in the next ten years, RSP & Associates said programming changes (like “Parent Choice” schools) or boundary adjustments will likely be needed to rebalance demand and capacity. Highlighting the district’s growth patterns, Vaughn Elementary, which opened for the 2022–23 school year, could be at 186% capacity ten years from now if no changes are made. Overall, elementary capacity would be nearing its limit by the end of the period, reaching about 97.2% utilization.
Middle school enrollment is predicted to increase by about 700 students. A new middle school – the district’s sixth – will be needed by 2031-2032 and has been listed on the facilities master plan since at least last year.
Junior high enrollment is expected to increase by about 600 students, which can be managed by boundary and programming changes. Ten years from now, junior highs are expected to operate at roughly 98% of capacity.
High school enrollment is expected to increase by about 1,300 students. High schools would be the first to exceed capacity without a new facility, which is why the career campus is under consideration.
A map showing changes in student population. Green areas reflect a decrease in students, while orange areas indicate growth.