In December 1928, the newly created Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) purchased two lots near the original building from Justin Matthews Sr., for $550 each.

Today, this building is now the home of the Retirement Centers of Arkansas, Inc.[9] Established in 1956 to serve the nearby city of Sherwood and surrounding northeastern Pulaski County communities, Sylvan Hills High School was named after the early and heavily wooded community and to expand Sylvan Hills School, which previously served students from first through ninth grade.

The complex that was completed in the fall of 1956 produced the first Sylvan Hills High School graduating class of 1959 consisted of 101 students with the baseball team making it to the state finals.

As the community grew population due, in part, to the 1955 development of the Little Rock Air Force Base in nearby Jacksonville, it became necessary to expand once again.

In April 2008, the school suffered severe roof damage from a storm's high winds resulting in over $750,000 (present day $1.06 million) in repairs.

[17] By 2011, major renovations had been completed to the school's gymnasium, bathrooms and the construction of a bridge to the practice field.

[27] As school districts around the United States have similar policies regarding students' cell phone use in classrooms, this legal decision has been widely discussed in the education community.

[30] In 2008, Sylvan Hills was recognized with an Arkansas Picturing America Award,[31] which is an initiative by the National Endowment for the Humanities that brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide.

A Sylvan Hills student was named one of Arkansas' top two youth volunteers for 2009 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for acts of voluntarism.

The scholar was honored for mapping and compiling information on the 3,500 gravesites at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery located in North Little Rock.

The awards program is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

[35][36] As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,427 students and 97.55 classroom teachers (on full time equivalent (FTE) basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.63:1[2] The student population at Sylvan Hills is predominantly White and African American, with a small Hispanic and Latino American minority and other minorities.

The SOI goal is to implement a personalized learning model, which will provide flexible, student-centered, nurturing environments focused on placing the highest priority on student learning, mastery of content, and school to career connections based on students’ interests.

As part of the SOI program outcomes, Sylvan Hills has begun entering into partnerships with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and Pulaski Technical College (UA–PTC) to provide students access to concurrent enrollment offerings and industry credentialed programming that appeal to student interests and better prepare them for career endeavors.

[41] Career and technical education offerings including building trades, cosmetology, and Cisco Systems network training, which can lead to state-licensure and professional certification.

[45] Additionally, Sylvan Hills maintains a cadre of career teaching professionals with several educators qualified as National Board Certified Teachers.

[46][47] Sylvan Hills students may take classes in journalism and creative writing to produce the award-winning online and print publications.

Sylvan Hills is a member of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association (ASPA), which provides an opportunity to compete in individual and school contests, seminars, and workshops.

ASPA has awarded its Adviser of the Year to school educators including Dixie Martin (1986), Allen Loibner-Waitkus (2002) and Tonia Weatherford, NBCT, CJE (2014).

The school maintains a literary magazine (The Breeze), which showcases student works in poetry, artwork, photographs and creative writing.

[55] The Sylvan Hills 9–10 Girls have won four consecutive Best in Class for the 5A Female Chorus – Medium competition at the 2013 through 2016 state festivals.

[59] Sylvan Hills theater program educators lead various classes and theatrical productions involving drama and stagecraft that are produced by students and held at the school's Jim Burgett Auditorium and beyond.

[61] Starting with the 2014–15 school year, Bill Blackwood Field at Bears Stadium shifted from natural grass to synthetic turf and replaced track surfaces.

[69][70] In 2021, Nick Smith Jr. (NBA drafted in 2023) was selected as Gatorade Arkansas Boys' Basketball Player of the Year his junior season before transferring out.

Since 2007, Jeff Henderson maintains the state high school decathlon record in the 100 meter dash with his 10.84 second run.

[64] In 2024, junior Josiah Rainey won 1st place at the Arkansas Class 5A State Championships in the 100 and 200 meter dash.

[75] That same year for 2004–05, Sylvan Hills won the National Cheerleading Champion (Super Large Varsity) division at the American Spirit Championships (ASC).