Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School

Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School is a K-8 charter school in Clarksdale, Mississippi, serving 652 students in a high-poverty Delta community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school operates as its own district — Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School — which ranks 124th out of 134 Mississippi districts (7th percentile, 0 stars). The school itself sits in the bottom decile of Mississippi schools and has remained there for several years.

The biggest red flag is math. Fourth-grade math proficiency is just 8.8%, compared to a 51.5% state average — and every nearby high-poverty school does far better, including Quitman County Elementary (52.4%), Lyon Elementary (52.9%), and Casper E Hall (50.0%). Gaps persist in 3rd grade (25.7% vs. 48.8% statewide), 5th grade (15.8% vs. 49.6%), and 8th grade (13.8% vs. 51.4%). The school shows one relative strength: 3rd grade reading proficiency is 34.2% — well above nearby George H. Oliver Visual/Performing Arts Magnet School (13.2%), Booker T. Washington International Studies Magnet School (17.3%), and Kirkpatrick Health And Wellness Magnet School (24.0%), though still below the state's 48.5%.

Class size is another concern: the student-teacher ratio jumped from 15.7 to 21.7, the highest among nearby schools like Jonestown Elementary (10.8) and Casper E Hall (12.5). Chronic absenteeism is 20.6% — better than several Clarksdale Municipal School District magnet schools (up to 40.7%), but worse than Casper E Hall's 5.5%. Nearby schools with similar demographics show that high poverty does not make low scores inevitable. Families considering Clarksdale Collegiate should ask pointed questions about math instruction, class sizes, and the plan to reverse stagnant results.