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The Cranston Public Library is the public library system serving Cranston, the second largest city in Rhode Island. The first library in Cranston was formed in 1797, while the library system was formed in 1966 by the Cranston City Council. The present day library system formed in 1968 when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one. There are six locations in the system, including a central library and five neighborhood branches. The library system is governed by a board of trustees consisting of seven members appointed by the Cranston City Council. Members serve staggered three-year terms. Meetings are open to the public.In addition to traditional library services, the Cranston Public Library provides services such as tax preparation, 3D printing, analog-to-digital audio transferring, and educational programs among others. The system also provides mobile services to homebound residents.

The Anthony P. Travisono Intake Service Center is a maximum-security state men's prison in Cranston, Rhode Island, owned and operated by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. The facility opened in 1985, and has an operational capacity of 1118 prisoners.

Rhode Island Maximum Security Prison, formerly known as Howard Prison, is a Rhode Island Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Cranston, Rhode Island. It is the state's oldest operational prison, with a current capacity of 430. The facility was first completed in 1878 as the State Prison and Providence County Jail. The design, based on New York's Auburn system of confinement and including a distinctive octagonal stone tower, was the work of Providence architects Stone and Carpenter. Warden Nelson Viall, who during the Civil War had commanded the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), managed the facility until his death in 1903. The prison was expanded in 1924. The prison is also the oldest element of the state correctional complex which includes the adjacent High Security Center (HSC), the Anthony P. Travisono Intake Service Center, and the John J. Moran Medium Security Facility. Rhode Island has no death penalty and no death row.

Howard was originally a farming hamlet in the southern part of Cranston, Rhode Island. In the mid-19th century, most of the land was acquired by the State of Rhode Island to construct a state prison, a poor house, and other state facilities. The Rhode Island State Prison, designed by prison reformer John Haviland was first built here in 1878, is a stark and imposing gothic structure built of granite block. Over the last several decades, numerous other institutional buildings for incarcerated criminals and the intellectually disabled were constructed here. Today, Howard encompasses an area of almost one square mile. Its numerous prison buildings house over 2,000 male and female prisoners as well as several hundred mental health patients.

The Eleanor Slater Hospital is Rhode Island's state psychiatric hospital with campuses at the John O. Pastore Center at 111 Howard Avenue in Cranston, Rhode Island and the Zambarano division at Wallum Lake in Burrillville, Rhode Island.

The John J. Moran Medium Security Facility is a medium-security state men's prison in Cranston, Rhode Island, owned and operated by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. The facility opened in 1992, and has an operational capacity of 1006 prisoners.

Westcote is a historic house in Cranston, Rhode Island. This 1+1⁄2-story Greek Revival cottage was built c. 1843, and was originally located on Oaklawn Avenue before being moved to its present location. It was built by a member of the locally prominent Westcott family as a farmhouse, and is a well-preserved and little-altered example of vernacular Greek Revival style.The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area. Cranston was named one of the "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine in 2006. Cranston ranked 36th on the list of "America's 50 Best Cities to Live" in a 2014 survey done by 24/7 Wall St.The Town of Cranston was created in 1754 from a portion of Providence north of the Pawtuxet River. After losing much of its territory to neighboring towns and the city of Providence, Cranston itself became a city on March 10, 1910.

Meshanticut is a neighborhood in Cranston, Rhode Island, United States. Meshanticut is a residential neighborhood on the western side of Cranston. Meshanticut, which is a Narragansett Indian word meaning "place of woods" features an eclectic array of housing styles including Victorian homes, cottages, and capes. The focal point of the neighborhood is Meshanticut State Park which surrounds Meshanticut Lake, a small lake popular for fishing in the summer and ice skating in winter. A road that encircles the lake is popular for walking and jogging. It was gifted to the Metropolitan Parks Commission of Cranston by John Dean in 1910. It has previously been a parcel of the Dean estates since the 1870s, when the Dean family owned this section of Cranston west of Garden City. Located in this area is Cranston High School West (CHSW), which also includes the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC).

Cranston School District is a school district located in Cranston, Rhode Island, USA, which services an approximate student population of 11,155 in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. With 790 full-time classroom teachers, the district's overall student/teacher ratio is 14.1:1. There are 24 schools associated with the agency, which is classified as being in or near a mid-sized city (Cranston, RI). Cranston School District allocates approximately $5,572 per pupil for instructional expenses. Educational facilities that are a part of this agency (district). There are 23 schools listed below. Click on a school's name to find information about that school.

Cranston High School West (often called West, Cranston West or abbreviated as CHSW) is a public high school located in Cranston, Rhode Island, United States. The school comprises five buildings; one of these buildings is the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center. The school grounds include six tennis courts, a baseball field, and a track and football field. West has 155 staff members who work with the student population of approximately 1850 daily. The program of studies encompasses 203 different courses. The Cranston Area Career and Technical Center offers 17 different courses. All courses are geared toward student academic abilities. Fifty-two percent of graduates go on to pursue a four-year degree while twenty-two percent pursue a 2-year degree. Numerous athletic teams have won championship titles for the school, more recently being the 2004 varsity football team, 2006 varsity wrestling team, 2007 varsity wrestling team, 2008 varsity wrestling team, 2009 varsity wrestling team, 2006 varsity baseball team, 2007 varsity baseball team, 2009 varsity hockey team, 2011 varsity baseball team, and 2012 varsity boys tennis team. Also the varsity boys volleyball team made it to the semifinals of the State titles in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 while winning the State Championship in 2016 and 2019. The 2017 boys swim team were the division three dual meet champions. It is also the high school of former NFL Pro Bowl running back Mark Van Eeghen.

The Edward Searle House is an historic stone ender in Cranston, Rhode Island in the village of Oaklawn. The house is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state. The house was rebuilt in 1677 on the site of the original 1670 house off of the remaining Stone end and chimney which survived the burning by Native Americans during King Philip's War, and was remodeled around 1720. The 1+1⁄2-story gable-roofed stone-ender remains a part of the newer house. Edward Searle was a son-in-law of Thomas Ralph who was one of the original purchasers of the land from the Native Americans. The owner of the house has placed a large chalkboard on the front porch often containing messages for passers-by.