Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District are working in lockstep to put a high school on the college’s campus.
The proposed school will be located in proximity to Partnership Middle School, the nation’s only public educational facility housed on a university campus serving every middle school pupil in the district. Partnership Middle School opened its doors in 2020.
Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Superintendent Tony McGee signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 25, highlighting both parties’ plan to expand their work to replace the existing Starkville High School with a state-of-the-art facility.
“Today marks the beginning of the latest chapter in the highly successful partnership between Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District,” Keenum said. “By working together, we are creating new and exciting opportunities for students along every step of their educational journey.
“The new Starkville High School will be a true asset and resource for not only our community, but a model for innovative teaching, learning, discovery, and career and technical education for school districts around the state and across the country.”
Officials say the new high school project will positively impact the city of Starkville as a whole, along with the greater Oktibbeha County area, the Golden Triangle region, and the state of Mississippi through workforce initiatives aimed at addressing workforce challenges.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the formal beginning of the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District on July 1, 2015. The effort to bring the city and county schools together was led by the Commission on Starkville Consolidated School District Structure.
While the latest memorandum of understanding includes an overview of mutual goals, objectives, plans, and anticipated responsibilities between Starkville public school officials and their counterparts at Mississippi State University, the agreement generally defines the good-faith intentions without addressing all details. More information is expected to be released in the future.
Talks are also underway about the prospect of relocating the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science from the Mississippi University for Women’s campus in Columbus to Starkville, near where Partnership Middle School is located. As of now, state lawmakers have not voted to relocate the magnet school from its host site, but that move could be made in the upcoming legislative session.
