Arkansas Mandated 75 Hours of Service for Graduation

The LEARNS Act requires all public and charter school seniors to complete community service to earn their diplomas.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Secondary Education

Bold vector editorial illustration of a pair of work gloves on a garden gate, representing community service. — Arkansas high school seniors are now required to complete 75 hours of community service to earn their diplomas under the state's LEARNS Act. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Arkansas enacted a mandate requiring public and charter high school students to complete 75 hours of community service to graduate under the 2023 LEARNS Act. During the 2025-26 school year, 35,270 seniors were impacted by the state-level requirement.

Why it matters

The requirement aims to foster a sense of civic duty among students by integrating public service into the traditional secondary education experience. Officials believe this hands-on involvement helps cultivate lasting habits of community engagement.

The requirement applies specifically to 35,270 students enrolled in public and charter school campuses as of the 2025-26 school year. Private and homeschooled students remain exempt from the 75-hour mandate.

The players

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

She is the Governor of Arkansas who signed the LEARNS Act into law.

Arkansas Foodbank

This organization has seen 126 new volunteer groups from 71 schools participate since 2023.

Little Rock School District

This local education agency is actively managing the implementation of service requirements for its students.

The details

Students are eligible to start accumulating their required hours beginning in their freshman year of high school. To support this mandate, school districts have appointed community service learning coordinators and provided students with curated lists of local service opportunities.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the LEARNS Act into law in 2023.
The 2025-26 school year included 35,270 public and charter school seniors.
The 2026-27 school year began in September 2026.
The Little Rock School District pushed students to complete their hours in December.

Culture Shift

The requirement marks a shift toward formalizing community service as a core component of the secondary education curriculum, aligning with broader trends to increase student civic participation. This approach mirrors policies in states like Maryland, positioning Arkansas as one of the few regions with a statewide graduation mandate.

Public school students must proactively manage their schedules to accumulate the 75 required hours before their senior year concludes. Parents and students should consult their school's community service learning coordinator to ensure that their volunteer activities meet district requirements.

The takeaway

Students should begin identifying volunteer opportunities early in their freshman year to avoid a crunch in their final semesters. Balancing academic responsibilities with service hours is essential for meeting state requirements for graduation.