Original Research by School Decision on Premier High School Online
Premier High School Online serves grades nine through twelve as a tuition-free public charter school within the Premier High Schools of Arkansas district. It is an online program run by the district, which, as publicly reported, underwent a charter renewal process that was ultimately granted, allowing all its campuses and the virtual academy to continue operating. The district has since expanded, adding new physical campuses in several Arkansas cities, indicating organizational growth. With an enrollment that is moderate for a high school serving four grades, the school offers a fully remote learning pathway.
The student body is mixed in composition. The data shows a majority of Black students, followed by a substantial share of White students, and smaller numbers of Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and a few Asian, American Indian, or Alaska Native students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. The data did not include information on the share of students with an Individualized Education Program or those classified as English learners.
There is no state testing data available for this school. The data fields for proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science across all tested grades are missing, and no participation rates are reported. Because the school serves only high school grades, the absence of results for elementary and middle school grades is expected. But the state’s high school assessments also show no reported results. With no proficiency data, no graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism rate available, the academic performance profile is essentially absent. A parent looking to understand how the school’s students perform on state measures will find no basis for a judgment from this record.
Little Rock, the city where the school is based, is Arkansas’s capital and largest city, a mix of government, healthcare, commercial, and industrial uses. Major employers include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dillard’s, and state government. The downtown River Market district and the Arkansas River Trail offer walkable amenities, but the broader city is car-dependent outside the core. The housing market, as reflected in the local area, sits below national benchmarks but has seen modest appreciation, with rents also rising slightly. The city has a large institutional presence with the state capitol, the Clinton Presidential Center, and several hospital and university campuses.
For a family considering this school, the central fact is the absence of academic performance data. This is a fully online public charter high school, serving an economically diverse student body, operating from a Little Rock address within a growing multi-campus district. What that experience looks like day to day, how students progress academically, and whether they graduate at rates comparable to other schools are questions the available data cannot answer. A parent would want to speak directly with the school about its curriculum, support for online learners, and outcome measures the school tracks internally.
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