INFORMATION FOR GRADUATING CLASS OF 2027 AND BEYOND:
Arkansas Code Annotated §6-16-1901 states that “beginning with the graduating class of 2026-2027, a public high school student shall complete a minimum of seventy-five (75) clock hours of documented community service in grades nine through twelve (9-12), as certified by the service agency or organization with which the public school student volunteers, in order to graduate.

There is no minimum community service hour requirement per grade level or a limit on the number of hours a student can earn towards the 75 hours in a year. For example, a student who earns 30 hours in 9th grade and 45 hours their sophomore year will have completed the required 75 hours prior to graduation. 

INFORMATION FOR TRANSFERRING STUDENTS:
Students transferring into a public school district after 9th grade or students graduating early may receive a diploma provided that the minimum requirement for each year they attend a public school district in Arkansas is met.  The minimum number of community service hours for each grade level for those students shall be:  Fifteen (15) hours for students in 9th grade; Twenty (20) hours for students in 10th grade; Twenty (20) hours for students in 11th grade; Twenty (20) hours for students in 12th grade. For example, a student moves to Arkansas from a different state in 11th grade. The student would need to accrue 40 hours of community service to graduate.