Simpson County School District Explained

The Simpson County School District is a public school district based in Mendenhall, Mississippi, USA. The district's boundaries parallel those of Simpson County.^[1]

Schools

• Magee High School
• Mendenhall High School
• Magee Middle School
• Mendenhall Junior High School
• Magee Elementary School
• Mendenhall Elementary School
• Simpson Central School

In 2022 the district plans to consolidate the two high schools into a single school. The two were previously athletic rivals.^[2] The athletic rivalry had been in place in the preceding decades.^[3]

Mac Gordon, a former newspaper employee from McComb, Mississippi who wrote an editorial for The Clarion Ledger, described the consolidation as "stunning news" considering that it involves two high schools with "sound" performance in academic parameters, in "progressive communities with much pride" in these institutions.^[4] The consolidated facility will be known as Simpson County High School.^[5] In February 2022 the district proposed a bond for $39 million for the new high school; if passed, the art and sports facilities would open at the same time the new high school opens.^[6] Voters rejected the bond.^[7]

Demographics

2006-07 school year

There were a total of 4,292 students enrolled in the Simpson County School District during the 2006–2007 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 48% female and 52% male. The racial makeup of the district was 52.40% African American, 46.44% White, 0.89% Hispanic, 0.16% Native American, and 0.12% Asian.^[8] 67.1% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.^[9]

Previous school years

School Year	Enrollment	Gender Makeup		Racial Makeup
		Female	Male	Asian	African American	Hispanic	Native American	White
2005-06	4,253	48%	52%	0.21%	52.29%	0.85%	0.12%	46.53%
2004-05	4,266	48%	52%	0.14%	52.39%	0.54%	0.16%	46.77%
2003-04	4,249	48%	52%	0.09%	51.89%	0.47%	0.09%	47.45%
2002-03^[10]	4,369	48%	52%	0.07%	51.32%	0.55%	0.07%	48.00%

Accountability statistics

	2006-07^[11]	2005-06^[12]	2004-05^[13]	2003-04^[14]	2002-03^[15]
District Accreditation Status	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited
School Performance Classifications
Level 5 (Superior Performing) Schools	0	0	0	0	0
Level 4 (Exemplary) Schools	2	1	0	1	0
Level 3 (Successful) Schools	4	6	7	6	6
Level 2 (Under Performing) Schools	1	0	0	0	1
Level 1 (Low Performing) Schools	0	0	0	0	0
Not Assigned	0	0	0	0	0

See also

• List of school districts in Mississippi

Further reading

• Web site: Some Simpson County taxpayers skeptical of high school consolidation process. WLBT. 2022-07-25.
• https://www.simpsoncounty.ms:443/local-news/school-district-proceeding-consolidation
• https://www.simpsoncounty.ms/front-page-slideshow-news/consolidated-high-school-proposal-be-presented#sthash.AQVxGgdq.dpbs

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Simpson County, MS. U.S. Census Bureau. 2023-05-05. - Text list
2. Web site: 2 Rival Schools Merging, Voters to Decide on $39M Bond Issue. Associated Press. U.S. News & World Report. 2022-02-26. 2022-07-04.
3. Web site: Decades-long Simpson County rivalry will soon be no more after high schools merge. WLBT. 2022-02-23. 2023-05-05.
4. Web site: Gordon. Mac. Simpson County schools consolidation a positive sign in Mississippi. Clarion Ledger. 2022-03-16. 2022-07-04.
5. Web site: Simpson County High School. Simpson County School District. 2022-07-04.
6. Web site: Hall. Brendan. Decades-long Simpson County rivalry will soon be no more after high schools merge. WLBT. 2022-02-23. 2022-07-04.
7. Web site: Bond issue defeated but consolidation still on go. The Magee Courier/Simpson County News. 2022-04-06. 2022-07-04.
8. Web site: Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System . Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education. https://web.archive.org/web/20070323012858/http://orsap.mde.k12.ms.us:8080/MAARS/indexProcessor.jsp . 23 March 2007 .
9. Web site: 2006-07 State, District, and School Enrollment by Race/Gender with Poverty Data . . Mississippi Department of Education . 2008-01-16 . 2008-05-19.
10. Web site: Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003 . Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education . 2004-09-02 . 2007-08-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070812173502/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/RC3B/RC3B.htm . 2007-08-12 . dead .
11. Web site: 2007 Results . . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2007-09-13 . 2007-09-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071127152304/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM07/ACC07LST.PDF . 2007-11-27 . dead .
12. Web site: 2006 Results . . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2006-09-06 . 2007-06-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070217064644/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM06/ACC06LST.PDF . 2007-02-17 . dead .
13. Web site: 2005 Results . . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2005-09-09 . 2007-06-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114959/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM05/ACC05FLST.PDF . 2007-07-05 . dead .
14. Web site: 2004 Results . . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2004-09-26 . 2007-06-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114957/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM04/ACC04FLST.PDF . 2007-07-05 . dead .
15. Web site: 2003 Results . . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2003-11-21 . 2007-06-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114951/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM03/ACC03CLST.PDF . 2007-07-05 . dead .