Starbase Arkansas Opens STEM Classrooms for Fifth-Graders
Little Rock Air Force Base's Starbase program held a grand reopening showcasing its hands-on STEM classrooms for students in central Arkansas.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Primary Education
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Little Rock Air Force Base operates Starbase Arkansas, a STEM program for fifth-grade students, which held a grand reopening featuring four operating classrooms. Visitors included attendees from the air base, the Jacksonville community, and the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.
Why it matters
The program targets fifth grade because it marks a key transition point before junior high and high school, giving students hands-on exposure to science and technology. Families in Little Rock and surrounding communities have an opportunity to enroll children before the spring openings fill.
Starbase currently has four operating rooms and roughly five open weeks left for spring enrollment. The program is hoping to fill five remaining classes, though the total number of enrolled students was not reported.
The players
Little Rock Air Force Base
Little Rock Air Force Base is the military installation that operates the Starbase Arkansas STEM program for local students.
Jacksonville North Pulaski School District
The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District is a public school district serving the Jacksonville area whose families can get help connecting with the program.
The details
Starbase is an informal, hands-on learning environment with no grades, where students complete engineering activities such as an egg-drop challenge called "Eggy the egg or not." Students also work with "do bots" on technology challenges and learn computer-aided design (CAD). Anyone in Arkansas who can travel to the site is eligible to participate.
Timeline
Spring: About five open weeks remain for enrollment.
Fifth grade: The program targets students at this key transition point toward junior high.
Season Trajectory
Starbase is part of a national Air Force STEM outreach network that places hands-on fifth-grade classrooms on military installations. The Little Rock reopening extends that model to central Arkansas families.
Families interested in Starbase should contact the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District for help connecting with the program before the roughly five remaining spring weeks fill. Students need to be able to travel to the site, since the program is open to anyone in Arkansas who can make the trip.
The takeaway
Hands-on STEM programs at the fifth-grade level give students early exposure to engineering and technology before they reach junior high. Families who want to participate should reach out early, since spring spots are limited.
Further reading
For more on local options, explore Primary Education coverage across Little Rock.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KATV.
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