Schools

Cabot Public Schools serves over 10,000 students in grades PK-12.  Students living in Cabot, Ward, Austin and most of northwestern Lonoke County attend one of 17 campuses across the district.  Cabot Public Schools is proud to be designated the first Purple Star School in the state by the Arkansas State Council of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission for its commitment to supporting and serving military children and their families.   

History of Schools in Ward:  Soon after Ward was settled in the 1860s, a log cabin was built to serve as a church and schoolhouse. By the early 1870s, a two-room school was built, which would serve as the school until 1904 when a two-story building was constructed on Hickory Street for students through the ninth grade. Students that wanted to continue their education beyond ninth grade traveled to nearby towns like Lonoke or Little Rock. After Ward was incorporated, the school was expanded to serve students through twelfth grade. Shortly after the first class graduated, the school burned down in 1930. The school was rebuilt in the same location only to meet the same fate two decades later. In 1950, the Ward High School combined with Cabot High School. After the fire, Ward Elementary School was built in 1959 as the state’s first all-electric-powered school. It served grades first through fourth until it closed in 1993. Since then, elementary students attend Ward Central Elementary located at Hwy 319 and Wilson Loop. The old Ward Elementary school building located on Hickory now serves as Ward City Hall and houses city offices

Arkansas State University (ASU) - Beebe is located just 5 miles north of Ward in Beebe.  ASU-Beebe is a part of the Arkansas State Univerity System.  Founded in 1927, ASU-Beebe is Arkansas’s first and oldest comprehensive community college. They help students build their future through relevant career training to obtain high paying jobs, or in rigorous academic preparation for transferring to a 4-year university through one of our 100-plus transfer agreements. Students can choose to live on campus in one of our suite-style residence halls for the full college experience.  To view what they have to offer, go visit their "What We Offer" website.