Clarksdale Municipal School District Explained

The Clarksdale Municipal School District (CMSD) is a public school district based in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.

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.^[2]

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."^[3]

Schools

High School

• Clarksdale High School
• J. W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy

Middle schools

• Oakhurst Intermediate School
• W. A. Higgins Middle School (formerly Junior High School)

Elementary schoolsEach elementary school has a school theme.

• Heidelberg Elementary School  - Math and science.
• Kirkpatrick Elementary School  - Health sciences.
• George H. Oliver Elementary School  - Visual and performing arts.
• Booker T. Washington Elementary School  - International Baccalaureate  - Brenda Miller - Principal

Former schools

Former elementary schools:^[4]

• Myrtle Hall III Elementary School
• Myrtle Hall IV Elementary School
• Riverton Elementary School
• Jerome Y. Stamply Elementary School

Demographics

Circa 2017 the district had about 3,200 students.^[5] Circa 2008 the district had about 3,600 students.^[6]

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.^[7] 89.9% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.^[8]

Previous school years

School Year	Enrollment	Gender Makeup		Racial Makeup
		Female	Male	Asian	African American	Hispanic	Native American	White
2005-06	3,610	51%	49%	0.66%	92.96%	0.30%	-	6.07%
2004-05	3,615	50%	50%	0.50%	91.54%	0.25%	-	7.72%
2003-04	3,703	51%	49%	0.51%	90.44%	0.14%	-	8.91%
2002-03[9]	3,726	50%	50%	0.51%	88.67%	0.16%	-	10.68%

Accountability statistics

	2006-07[10]	2005-06[11]	2004-05[12]	2003-04[13]	2002-03[14]
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	0	0	0	1	0
Level 3 (Successful) Schools	5	6	7	6	4
Level 2 (Under Performing) Schools	4	3	2	3	3
Level 1 (Low Performing) Schools	0	0	0	0	3
Not Assigned	0	0	0	0	0

See also

• List of school districts in Mississippi

Notes and References

1. Web site: Troy . Josh . 2021-03-07 . Superintendent Joe Nelson Gets Contract Extension . 2022-07-23 . The Clarksdale Press Register.
2. [Curtis Wilkie|Wilkie, Curtis]
3. News: I'm looking to re-energize and build': Clarksdale schools new leader accepts 'the unique set of challenges' the Delta presents. Aallyah. Wright. Mississippi Today. August 8, 2019.
4. Web site: Coahoma County . . 2000-01-24 . 2021-06-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20001026044539/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/districts/coahoma.htm . 26 October 2000 . dead.
5. "A New Era of Schools." Clarksdale Municipal School District. Retrieved on July 6, 2017.
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20080314110427/http://www.cmsd.k12.ms.us/ Home
7. Web site: Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System . Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070323012858/http://orsap.mde.k12.ms.us:8080/MAARS/indexProcessor.jsp . 2007-03-23 .
8. Web site: 2006-07 State, District, and School Enrollment by Race/Gender with Poverty Data . . Mississippi Department of Education . 2008-01-16 . 2008-05-17.
9. Web site: Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003 . Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education . 2004-09-02 . 2007-08-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070812173502/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/RC3B/RC3B.htm . August 12, 2007 .
10. Web site: 2007 Results . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2007-09-13 . 2007-09-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071127152304/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM07/ACC07LST.PDF . November 27, 2007 .
11. Web site: 2006 Results . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2006-09-06 . 2007-05-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070217064644/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM06/ACC06LST.PDF . February 17, 2007 .
12. Web site: 2005 Results . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2005-09-09 . 2007-05-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114959/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM05/ACC05FLST.PDF . July 5, 2007 .
13. Web site: 2004 Results . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2004-09-26 . 2007-05-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114957/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM04/ACC04FLST.PDF . July 5, 2007 .
14. Web site: 2003 Results . Mississippi Statewide Accountability System . Mississippi Department of Education . 2003-11-21 . 2007-05-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070705114951/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Account/SAM03/ACC03CLST.PDF . July 5, 2007 .