At the time, Sheridan had around 199 African American residents out of the town's total population of 1898.

[5] In 1990, a series of student suicides, including one in a classroom at the high school, stunned the community and thrust Sheridan, Arkansas, into the national spotlight.

Despite receiving a petition containing over 30,000 signatures and being the subject of multiple community-based protests in support of publishing the student's profile, the school board refused to reverse their decision.

The Yellowjackets field teams in football, golf (boys/girls), volleyball, cross country (boys/girls), tennis (boys/girls), basketball (boys/girls), swimming and diving (boys/girls), soccer (boys/girls), track and field (boys/girls), baseball, softball, competitive cheer and dance.

[13] In 2010, student-athlete Christopher Marchman was selected as the 2009-10 Gatorade Arkansas Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning his second consecutive 7A state individual title.