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W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies

Public Grades 7-8
219th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 260 Mississippi Middle Schools
Better than 16% of Mississippi middle schools
Summary

W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is a middle school in Clarksdale, Mississippi, serving 269 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Clarksdale Municipal School District. In 2025-2026, the school posted its best academic performance in a decade, jumping from the 3rd to the 16th percentile in state rankings and earning its first star rating since 2020-2021, with proficiency gains across every tested grade and subject.

Attendance remains the school's biggest challenge. In 2023-2024, 44.2% of students were chronically absent—nearly double the state rate of 23.9% and more than double the 21.3% rate at Oakhurst Intermediate School, the district's feeder school for grades 5-6. The rate has more than tripled since 2018-2019. Because nearby schools serve similarly high-poverty populations, poverty alone doesn't explain this gap. The student-teacher ratio also rose sharply, from about 13.8 to 23.6 in 2024-2025, well above the ratios at Coahoma County Junior High School (14.3) and Oakhurst Intermediate (16.1), though slightly below Quitman County Middle School (25.8).

Academically, the picture is mixed compared with nearby schools. Higgins outperforms Quitman County Middle School in 7th grade math (50.6% vs. 30.6%) and 7th grade ELA, but trails in 8th grade ELA and science. Results are similar to Coahoma County Junior High School in 7th grade math and 8th grade science, but weaker in 8th grade math and ELA. While the recent improvement is encouraging, the school remains in the bottom 16% of Mississippi schools, and sustaining progress will require continued investment in staffing, attendance support, and instruction.

269
Students ?
23.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,632
Per pupil spending ?
97%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1749 Chestnut Street
       Clarksdale, MS  38614

(662) 627-8550

District: Clarksdale Municipal School District


Students who attend W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies usually attend:

High:    Clarksdale High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
55.8%
Two or more races:
41.6%
White:
1.5%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Mississippi average (30% vs 49% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 24% Mississippi)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school30%
District avg30%
Mississippi avg49%
219th of 260
Mississippi public middle schools ?
Bottom 16%▲ up 11 pts since 2016
From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
125th of 134Clarksdale Municipal School District among Mississippi districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMississippi percentileRating
202619.8219 of 26015.8%★☆☆☆☆
20255.0258 of 2663.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20245.8256 of 2643.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202313.9222 of 2438.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20228.7245 of 2574.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202113.5220 of 25714.4%★☆☆☆☆
201910.5240 of 2649.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201812.0227 of 2529.9%★☆☆☆☆
201710.4257 of 2725.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201610.0248 of 2604.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201515.0238 of 26610.5%★☆☆☆☆
201320.4225 of 26916.4%★☆☆☆☆
20129.1260 of 2703.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201111.7251 of 2644.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20104.5253 of 2550.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20095.4242 of 2472.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20088.8232 of 2444.9%☆☆☆☆☆
By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics38%-16 vs state
Science35%-23 vs state
English Language Arts20%-19 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Monday, May 8, 2017

Open Quote The principal, Ms. Ware, really cares about her students. I would recommend this school. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies

Students who attend W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies usually go on to attend Clarksdale High School

Students at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies are 56% African American, 42% Two or more races, 1% White, 1% Hispanic.

W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies ranks in the bottom 15.8% of Mississippi middle schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies.

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »
2025–26 MAAP test scoresNewAug 21, 2026
2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025
2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025
2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 2025


SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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