Summary:
The Clarksdale Municipal School District contains two middle schools—W.A. Higgins Academy of Arts/International Studies serving grades 7–8 and Oakhurst Intermediate School serving grades 5–6—together educating about 466 students in a high-poverty district ranked 125th out of 134 Mississippi districts. Both schools serve almost exclusively low-income families, with more than 96% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and both have received zero state accountability stars.
Neither school reaches the state average in most subjects, but each has its own strengths. W.A. Higgins Academy showed the most dramatic improvement, with 7th grade math jumping from 25.6% to 50.6% proficiency and 8th grade math rising from 5.7% to 26.1%. Science and English language arts also improved across every grade at Higgins. Oakhurst Intermediate, meanwhile, offers a healthier learning environment with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 21.3%—far below the district's 38.9% and even under the state's 23.9%—and a student–teacher ratio of 16.1 compared to Higgins' 23.6. Oakhurst also posted the highest single subject score in the district with 48.7% proficiency in 5th grade science.
Despite the bright spots, challenges remain. English language arts is the weakest subject at both schools, with no ELA proficiency rate exceeding 39.5% and 8th grade ELA at Higgins just 17.0%. Oakhurst actually saw math declines in both 5th and 6th grades, while Higgins improved across the board. Chronic absenteeism at Higgins is 44.2%, nearly double the state rate. Higgins has improved its statewide percentile from the 3rd to the 16th, suggesting the recent gains may signal real momentum, but whether these improvements are sustainable will require continued monitoring.
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