Cabot Christian finds new home in Jacksonville after lease loss, enrollment down 25%

JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KATV) — Channel 7 News first reported in March about the predicament that private school Cabot Christian faced after being forced out of their old location, just months before the end of the 2025/26 school year and the beginning of the 2026/27 school year.

Now, Cabot Christian has finally found a new home, but in a new city.

Just over 6 months ago, Cabot Christian administration was informed that their lease with their old South 2nd Street location would not be renewed, and they were forced to find a new home.

But as of late April, they have accepted an offer on the old Wells Preparatory Academy along Highway 161 in south Jacksonville, a stark contrast to the reality they faced earlier this year.

Cabot Christian School had been leasing the old Renew Church building in Cabot since 2022 but were informed by the building’s new owners that they were selling the property and would not continuing leasing to the school in January.

After the school were informed of that shocking news, the search for a new home commenced.

“We looked everywhere in Cabot,” says John Travis Larison, the President and Executive Director of Cabot Christian School.

“Because Cabot is a growing area, there is not much inventory,” he adds.

Larison says that prospective locations in Cabot did not fit their situation, as they were too expensive, too small, or not up to fire code.

“It’s hard when you’re a school that is running on a shoestring budget as private schools do but needs a lot of square footage.”

But when a fellow staff member stumbled upon that property in Highway 161, Larison believed they had found their new home.

“I walked in and thought, wait a second, this might actually work.”

Despite the positive outlook, Larison says Cabot Christian lost 25% of its enrollment with this decision, as some families could not afford to make the move. He even said some families at Cabot Christian were already having to drive 25+ miles to the school in the first place.

However, some parents like Kayla Lawrence are braving the longer commute and sticking with the school, even though it adds nearly 10 miles to her drive.

“There’s definitely that we’re looking forward to,” she says.

Lawrence believes there is a lot to look forward to, as the school hired new personnel.

“We’ll be welcoming in a new principal and new teachers next year.”

She also mentioned that the school is adding more grades, now moving to K-6th grade for the 2026/27 school year.

Larison is also excited for with the move, as he believes it offers new possibilities for both the school and for the city of Jacksonville.

“The Jacksonville community has been extremely supportive to us. We’ve probably gotten more support in the last 3 weeks than we’ve ever had.”

Larison also told Channel 7 News that the closing date for the new location is projected for May 22nd, and with the LEARNS EFA application deadline of June 1st, Cabot Christian will be going public for the coming school year.

He also states that the school was informed by the Arkansas Department of Education that they will accept late applications after June 1st due to the timing of the school’s move.

Of course, the name “Cabot Christian” in Jacksonville does not have the same ring to it, but Larison says the name will stay for the time being.