Is Cabot a good place to buy near Little Rock AFB?
By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage · Licensed in Arkansas ·
Short answer
Cabot is where Little Rock AFB families with children look first: ten to fifteen minutes north of the gate in Lonoke County, with Cabot Public Schools as the reason and 1990s-to-current subdivisions as the housing. It carries the highest band on the corridor, and that premium is the school district almost entirely. For a VA buyer the loan is straightforward at Arkansas prices; the checks are the builder's VA ID and lender incentive on the many new builds, HOA dues where they exist, and hail-aged roofs on the 1990s stock.
- Commute
- Main gate via Highway 67/167, 10–15 min; Little Rock 30–35 min
- Housing stock
- 1990s–2020s subdivisions; active new construction; older homes near the downtown core
- Price band
- Highest on the corridor; above Sherwood and Jacksonville
Cabot is a Lonoke County city up the highway from the base that has grown for thirty years on one thing: its school district. Families stationed at Little Rock AFB ask for Cabot by name, and the housing market has answered with subdivision after subdivision from the 1990s through today.
Who lives here and why
Mid-grade and senior NCOs, officers and instructors with school-age children, plus a large civilian population commuting to Little Rock and North Little Rock. Cabot Public Schools is the draw; the newer three- and four-bedroom subdivisions off Highway 5, Highway 89 and the bypass are the housing. The trade is price — Cabot is the top of the corridor for equivalent square footage — and the highway commute, which is quick except at shift change, when the whole corridor funnels onto 67/167 at once.
The commute
Ten to fifteen minutes south on Highway 67/167 to the main gate. Little Rock is thirty to thirty-five minutes. The Little Rock AFB guide maps the corridor by direction.
Housing stock and what the appraiser sees
Newer stock keeps the Minimum Property Requirements short. What the appraiser and the inspector find: hail-aged roofs on the 1990s subdivisions (Arkansas roofs replace early), wood-destroying insect findings (a WDI inspection is standard practice), and septic systems on the edge lots, which bring VA's septic evaluation. New construction is a large share of the market and carries the builder-VA-ID and warranty requirements and builder incentives tied to the builder's lender that should be priced against an outside VA quote — the new-construction page covers the fine print. The appraisal page covers how conditions are cleared.
The loan angle
Even at the top of the corridor, Cabot prices sit comfortably inside what E-6-and-up BAH carries at Arkansas tax rates; the BAH-to-payment calculator with Lonoke County's rate shows a wide margin. Instructors and permanent party on repeat assignments often have a VA loan open elsewhere; the second-tier calculation clears easily here. A Cabot house is a natural keep-as-a-rental at the next PCS, because the school district keeps demand steady; the renting-out page covers the decision. Arkansas's full property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans is on the Arkansas benefits page.
Around Little Rock AFB
Local details
- Schools
- Cabot Public Schools (verify boundaries)
- Taxes and fees
- Lonoke County and city of Cabot; low property tax; HOAs on some newer subdivisions
- Watch for
- Builder-lender incentives; hail-aged roofs; WDI; septic on edge lots; 67/167 traffic at shift change
- BAH here
- Official rate by grade →
What schools serve Cabot?
Cabot is served by Cabot Public Schools. Cabot runs PK-4, 5-6, 7-8, a 9th-grade academy and 10-12 in one district. Attendance zones change; confirm the assigned school for a specific address with the district.
| School | Grades | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Magness Creek Elementary | PK-4 | Central, Eastside, Mountain Springs, Northside, Southside, Stagecoach and Westside serve the other Cabot zones |
| Cabot Middle School North | 5-6 | paired with Cabot Junior High North (7-8); the South campuses serve the south half of town |
| Cabot High School | 10-12 | ninth graders attend the Cabot Freshman Academy |
Performance data: the state's official school report card. This site does not publish third-party ratings; they change yearly and are not the district's own numbers.
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