Clarksdale Municipal School District

History

Around the time of racial integration, circa the 1960s, the district arranged attendance boundaries of elementary schools so de facto segregation would occur. There had been plans to build a new consolidated Clarksdale-Coahoma County High School to serve all children in Coahoma County, plans were abandoned, even though the building was already constructed, because the officials wanted to maintain segregation in a de facto manner.

Performance

In 2019, "the district remains classified as low performing, bouncing between D and F every year since 2013. ...In the 2017-2018 school year, 19% of the district's teachers were not certified and – perhaps consequently – the district received an F rating." The district "has trouble retaining highly qualified educators."

Schools

High schools

Clarksdale High School

J. W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy

Middle schools

Oakhurst Intermediate School

W. A. Higgins Middle School (formerly Junior High School)

Elementary schools

Each elementary school has a school theme.

Booker T. Washington Elementary School – International Baccalaureate – Brenda Miller – principal

George H. Oliver Elementary School – visual and performing arts

Heidelberg Elementary School – math and science

Kirkpatrick Elementary School – health sciences

Former schools

Former elementary schools:

Jerome Y. Stamply Elementary School

Myrtle Hall III Elementary School

Myrtle Hall IV Elementary School

Riverton Elementary School

Demographics

Circa 2017, the district had about 3,200 students. Circa 2008, the district had about 3,600 students.

2006-07 school year

There were a total of 3,603 students enrolled in the Clarksdale Municipal School District during the 2006–2007 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 50% female and 50% male. The racial makeup of the district was 94.34% African American, 4.75% White, 0.75% Asian, and 0.17% Hispanic. 89.9% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.