Wright, Arkansas Explained

Official Name:Wright, Arkansas
Pushpin Map:Arkansas#USA
Pushpin Label:Wright
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Arkansas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Jefferson
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:220
Coordinates:34.435°N -92.0664°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:72182
Area Code:501
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:56551

Wright is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Wright is located on Arkansas Highway 256, 7.5miles west-northwest of Sherrill. Wright has a post office with ZIP code 72182.[1]

Education

It is a part of the Pine Bluff School District.[2] The schools serving Wright are Forrest Park/Greenville School for preschool, James Matthews Elementary School, Robert F. Morehead Middle School, and Dollarway High School.

It was formerly in the Plum Bayou-Tucker School District.[3] On July 1, 1983, the consolidation into the Wabbaseka Tucker School District occurred. On September 1, 1993, the Wabbaseka-Tucker district consolidated with the Altheimer-Sherrill School District,[4] forming the Altheimer Unified School District (operator of Altheimer-Sherrill High School).[5] That in turn merged into the Dollarway School District on July 10, 2006.[4] Altheimer-Sherrill High closed in 2007, with students moved to Dollarway High.[6] Altheimer Martin Elementary School closed in 2013.[7]

In December 2020 the Arkansas State Board of Education ruled that the Dollarway School District should merge into the Pine Bluff School District as of July 1, 2021; the post-merger school district began to operate all existing schools from both districts.[8] Accordingly, the attendance boundary maps of the respective schools remained the same for the 2021–2022 school year, and all DSD territory became a part of the PBSD.[9] The exception was with the pre-kindergarten levels, as all PBSD areas are now assigned to Forrest Park/Greenville School, including the territory from the former Dollarway district.[10] In 2023 the district announced that Dollarway High would merge into Pine Bluff High School, and that Morehead Middle School would become the only middle school for all of the Pine Bluff School District.[11]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.zipinfo.com/cgi-local/zipsrch.exe?cnty=cnty&zip=72182&Go=Go ZIP Code Lookup
  2. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson County, AR. U.S. Census Bureau. June 29, 2021. - The map shows Dollarway School District as not yet merged into Pine Bluff School District; the merger occurred on July 1, 2021.
  3. Web site: Arkansas Department of Education school district maps, 1952-1954 Jefferson County, 1952-1954. Arkansas Digital Archives. Arkansas State Archives. (Download)
  4. "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017.
  5. Web site: School closures hit a community. The Pine Bluff Commercial. April 11, 2013. August 4, 2017. The former Altheimer district included students from Altheimer, Wabbaseka, Sherrill, Tucker, Pastoria, Wright and the Plum Bayou communities.. - Alternate location at the Arkansas Department of Education (PDF page 3/13)
  6. Web site: Colvin. Eplunus. Closing schools took life out of Altheimer, residents recall. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. October 2, 2020. February 24, 2021.
  7. News: Hardy, Benjamin. School's out forever. Arkansas Times. July 28, 2016. July 31, 2017.
  8. Web site: Howell. Cynthia. State votes to combine Dollarway, Pine Bluff schools. Arkansas Democrat & Gazette. December 11, 2020. February 23, 2021.
  9. Web site: Annexation/Transition FAQ. Pine Bluff School District. February 23, 2021.
  10. Web site: Murrel. I. C.. Dollarway alumni honor district. Arkansas Democrat Gazette. June 28, 2021. July 4, 2021.
  11. Web site: Murrell. I. C.. Pine Bluff School District will consolidate junior, senior highs this fall. Arkansas Democrat Gazette. March 1, 2023. March 3, 2023.