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Little Rock board approves plan to repurpose Hall West, authorize hybrid model and drop 'West' from name
Summary
The Little Rock School District board voted Sept. 25 to drop 'West' from Hall West's name, direct administrators to develop an on‑campus 9–12 hybrid program, and phase out the school's traditional high‑school program after the 2025–26 year; the administration will return with a detailed plan and budget.
The Little Rock School District Board of Education on Sept. 25 approved a package of recommendations that will repurpose Hall West High School and authorize the district to design an on‑campus 9–12 hybrid program to run alongside the LRSD 6–12 Virtual Academy.
The board voted to drop the word “West” from the school's official name, authorize administration to continue planning the nontraditional hybrid option and to cease the traditional Hall West high‑school program after the 2025–26 school year. The administration also recommended moving Hamilton Learning Academy to the Hall campus in 2026–27, relocating adult‑education programs in 2027–28, exploring 0–2 childcare and community use of campus facilities, and pausing a proposed use of Scott Field and Cirque Arena by another campus.
Superintendent Doctor Wright framed the decision as a response to enrollment and budget pressures and said the district would work with students, staff and neighborhood stakeholders to shape the hybrid model before bringing a binding plan and budget back to the board. Doctor Wright asked the board for approval “to continue planning and collaborating with stakeholders” and emphasized the need for a careful design phase before finalizing staffing and offerings.
Students and community members urged the board to preserve traditional high‑school experiences. Ross Martin, an 11th‑grade student at Hall West, said he and his classmates should not be treated as statistics: “I come to y'all today to ask to see me, to see my peers, not as a statistic, but as a person,” he said, describing repeated moves and construction delays that have disrupted students' continuity.
Board members debated tradeoffs: some members pressed for more detail about athletics and extracurricular offerings; others stressed the high per‑pupil cost of operating the current configuration and the opportunity to preserve a Hall campus that serves a mix of student needs. Administration officials said the hybrid model would be smaller, offer limited extracurriculars depending on interest and budget, and rely on flexible staffing used successfully in other Hall campus programs (ACC and virtual learners).
The board approved the recommendations on a motion moved by Miss Westby and seconded by Director Adams. The administration will return with a detailed operational plan and projected finances (the superintendent indicated an Oct. 30 target for that presentation).
