[2][3] The district encompasses 207.99 square miles (538.7 km2) of land,[citation needed] and serves several rural communities in the Craighead and Lawrence counties.
[9] In 1975, the Westside High School obtained accreditation from AdvancED (formerly North Central Association).
James P. Best, previously the superintendent of the Heber Springs School District, replaced Dunivan.
[15] 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and 11-year-old Andrew Golden opened fire on the school, shooting and killing five people with multiple weapons, and both were arrested when they attempted to flee the scene.
Golden and Johnson were convicted of five murders and ten assaults, and were imprisoned until each turned 21 years of age.