Arkansas Children’s Rises to No. 2 in U.S. News & World Report Regional Rankings, Recognized Nationally in a Record 9 Specialties

LITTLE ROCK, AR. (Sept. 15, 2026) — Arkansas Children's placed second among children's hospitals in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals rankings released today, marking a significant rise from No. 6 the previous year.

Arkansas Children’s is now tied for second place regionally with Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. The rankings highlight growing national recognition among pediatric specialists across the country.

Arkansas Children’s also set a record this year, earning national rankings in nine pediatric specialties — the most in the health system's history. Several programs made significant leaps compared to last year's rankings. Among Arkansas Children’s ranked specialties are:

• Pediatric Nephrology: No. 27, highest-ever ranking and a 7-spot jump
• Pediatric Orthopedics: No. 28, highest-ever ranking and a 22-spot jump
• Pediatric Neonatology: No. 30, highest-ever ranking and a 27-spot jump
• Pediatric Urology: No. 30
• Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery: No. 32
• Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery: No. 38
• Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology: No. 40, highest-ever ranking and a 12-point jump
• Pediatric Cancer: No. 34, highest-ever ranking and a 9-spot jump
• Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery: No. 45

Orthopedics, Arkansas Children’s specialty making one of the list’s highest jumps, expanded significantly in the last year with the opening of Champions Pavilion in Little Rock. The new facility features a dedicated sports medicine gym for physical therapy and rehab with turf and basketball court surfaces allowing specialists to more accurately gauge recovery and judge readiness for return to play.

Arkansas Children’s is the only Orthopedics provider in the state ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s list and trained to care for growing athletes with providers fellowship-trained in sports medicine and pediatrics.

Expert opinion scores, which measure reputation among pediatric physicians nationwide, increased in several key specialties, including Orthopedics, Cancer, Nephrology and Diabetes & Endocrinology.

“At the heart of these rankings are the life-changing outcomes Arkansas Children’s creates for families every single day,” said Arkansas Children’s President & CEO Marcy Doderer. “We are pleased to see Arkansas Children’s recognized among the nation’s best. The honors drive us to keep doing what we love: ensuring children get better today and healthier tomorrow.”

U.S. News & World Report evaluates children’s hospitals across multiple specialties using clinical outcomes, patient safety, infection prevention, staffing and other quality-related measures, along with physician reputation surveys. The annual rankings are designed to help families identify hospitals that excel in providing specialized pediatric care.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's is the only health system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes the Arkansas Children’s Golisano Campus in Little Rock, home to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), and the Arkansas Children’s Walker Campus in Springdale, home to Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW). The two pediatric hospitals host 376 licensed beds, supported by a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define, discover and deliver unprecedented child health. ACH is a Magnet-recognized facility operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in nine pediatric subspecialties (2026-2027): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neonatology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology. ACNW, the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a Level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates an inpatient unit that will expand in 2026; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

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