I'd like to say Van Buren is very well organized, I believe the faculty goes above and beyond to educated their students. With a new facility comes new opportunities and I look forward to seeing what the performing arts dept. has in store for us this spring. The athletics and AP programs are of high
... Read more focus in this district. Students choose to take advantage of what the Van Buren school district has to offer. All kinds of new programs have taken place but it's up to the student to participate. Fort Smith walks students through their sub-par education. Good luck surviving in the real world. My student was a state debater, offered numerous scholorships and was very much prepared not manufactured, to enter into a higher level education. Read less
Posted by a parent on 10/26/08
Van Buren High School is one of the best schools in Arkansas. There are some really amazing teachers and the staff seems very student-oriented. The best thing about Van Buren is the music program. Mike Jones and Ron Smith do an AMAZING job with the band, which is arguably the best in the state. Kathy
... Read more Hoover does a great job with the choir. In short, Van Buren High School is an amazing school/ Read less
Posted by a student on 07/26/08
I've been pretty satisfied with the education my son has gotten at VBHS. Can't speak directly to the question of principal leadership since I haven't had any personal experience with that. His teachers have been excellent; Gail Saifi and Steve Brodie in particular - they teach difficult subjects well
... Read more by making them interesting and fun. That said, I think the school (and the district as a whole) places too much emphasis on sports, at the expense of educating the students who are struggling. The students don't even have their own textbooks for each class; they must check them out to take them home, which I find ridiculous. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/29/07
VBHS is the best High School in Arkansas, period. They are the State Champions in both Soccer and Band, the Van Buren Pointers Rock!!!
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a student on 10/22/06
I am very proud of the Van Buren School District. My children have been blessed to have, for the most part, wonderful teachers and school facilities. My oldest child just graduated with high honors and has earned a full scholarship for his college, including room and board. Van Buren has much to offer
... Read more academically and through various extracurricular activities and organizations. What's also wonderful about this district is the amount of parent participation, which is encouraged by the schools. If you're looking for a quality place to live and raise your children, Van Buren is it. Read less
Posted by a parent on 06/06/05
Kathy Hubbs, Gail Saifi, Ladonna Brewer, Mari Newby, Stephen Brodie,Quince Coleman, Tim McCutchen,Kevin Porter, Sandra Whittington, and Gary Deffenbaugh are major assets to the Van Buren School District. These teachers have influenced me in many ways and I would like everyone to realize how much the
... Read more are needed at Van Buren High School.I would also like to add that something needs to change about how the most wonderful biology teacher in the world gets no respect from the administration, she deserves anything she might happen to request and it needs to be taken into consideration of the superiors that her requests be fulfilled. Gail Saifi is an amazing teacher and her influence on her students is tremendous. Thank You. Read less
Posted by a student on 09/15/04
As a current student at VBHS I would say that this is a wonderful school to attend we have excellent teachers and great AP classes. There is a minimum of school violence, and the students blend in well with others. We have great athletic programs that are steadily growing as well as our student count.
... Read more I couldn't hope for a better public school. Read less
Posted by a student on 08/15/04
As a parent of a child previously enrolled in the Van Buren School District and a previous teacher within the district, I would agree that the Van Buren secondary schools are sub-par (Elementary schools are excellent). Unlike many, do not feel that the teachers are to blame. The district has excellent
... Read more faculty (about the only redeeming quality in the district). The problem is with the administration. The Jr. High and High School teachers many times have their hands tied by upper administration who are much more interested in how the community perceives the district than preparing students for their future. While I realize this is a problem in every school district, it is overly magnified in the Van Buren Secondary Schools. If you could get the faculty to speak openly, I assure you they would agree. This is why I left and have chosen to teach in another institution. Read less
Posted by a parent on 04/08/04
Its organization, faculty, and facility, as well as issues such as discipline, course content, AP program, and athletics, are all worse than sub-par. After living in this district and having two students attend VBHS (one graduated), our family moved to Fort Smith so the other children may finish their
... Read more education in schools that do more than manufacture graduates who are ill-prepared for college, military, or work. Read less
* In 2007-2008 Arkansas used the Benchmark Exam to test students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 in literacy and grades 3 through 8 in math. The Benchmark Exam is a standards-based test, which means it measures specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Arkansas. The goal is for all students to score at or above the proficient level.
Student enrollment:
1,210
Students per teacher:
15
Full-time teachers:
81
Number of classrooms:
45
Vocational Education
Accounting, Auto Mechanics, Drafting, Drivers Ed, Food Nutrition, Health, Keyboarding/Typing, Phys Ed, ROTC, Word Processing
Arts
Art
Music
Choral, Music Theory
Computer Science
Computer Science, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia
Fine Arts
Drama, Fine Arts
Social Studies / Social Sciences
Economics, Sociology and Anthropology, Psychology
Science
Environmental Science, Human Anatomy/Physiology
English
Journalism, Literature, Speech/Debate
Special Education
Speech/Language Pathologists
Math
Statistics, Trigonometry
Advanced Placement
Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Fine Arts
*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.
Advanced Placement
AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.
Before/After School
"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.
Gifted and Talented
A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:
general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;
specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;
creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;
leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;
visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;
psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.
Vocation/Technical Curriculum
Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.
Special Education Classes
A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.
Adult Education Classes
Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.
English as Second Language
English language classes for students whose first language is not English.
Van Buren schools — Van Buren High School is located at 2001 E Pointer Trl, Van Buren AR 72956. 2001 E Pointer Trl is in the 72956 ZIP code in Van Buren, AR The school district for Van Buren High School is the Van Buren School District 42. Van Buren High School is a Public school that serves grade levels 10 - 12.
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Test Score Ratings
Test score ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results reported by this state. These ratings may help
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this school scored better than 70% of the students in the state on the same tests. We have indicated below which tests
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experience, academic programs, extracurricular activities, resources for special needs students, etc. These ratings are
not provided by the state Department of Education, which may have their own rating systems.
