NW Mississippi News

Among the ethnicities represented in Coahoma County schools, Black was the most prevalent among the county students in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Of the 3,570 students attending Coahoma County schools, 95.8% were Black. White students were the second most common ethnicity, making up 1.4% of Coahoma County student body.

In the previous school year, Black students were also the most common group in Coahoma County, representing 90.3% of the student body.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.3% when compared to the previous year.

Mississippi's schools, with an enrollment of 436,523 in the 2023-24 academic year, are mostly divided between two ethnicities, with Black or African American students being the largest racial group at 46.86%, followed by white students at 42.14%.

Students in the state showed a significant improvement in the 2022-23 academic year, demonstrating sustained progress in their post-pandemic recovery. Overall, 87% of schools and 91% of districts achieved a grade of C or better, compared to 81% of schools and 87% of districts in the prior year.

Results from the 2022-23 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) showed students reaching an all-time high in all core subjects. Students better performed on the Math and English portion of the test, achieving grades around 5% better than in the previous year.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	% of Total Student Population	Total Enrollment
Kirkpatrick Health & Wellness	Black	95.4%	261
Lyon Elementary School	Black	97.2%	250
Coahoma County Junior-Senior High School	Black	95.5%	552
Oakhurst Intermediate Academy	Black	97.1%	205
Clarksdale High School	Black	97.1%	478
W.A. Higgins Middle School Academy	Black	97.9%	281
Jerome W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy	Black	96.2%	158
Jonestown Elementary School	Black	100%	143
Booker T. Washington International Studies	Black	97.6%	207
Clarksdale Collegiate	Black	91.1%	583
Geo H. Oliver Visual/Perfoming Arts	Black	98.3%	299
Friars Point Elementary School	Black	92.8%	153