Jackson Public School District

For the district in Michigan, see Jackson Public Schools (Michigan).

Jackson Public Schools
Location
662 S. President Street Jackson, MS 39201 USA
Coordinates	32°17′32″N90°10′58″W / 32.29223°N 90.182864°W / 32.29223; -90.182864 Coordinates: 32°17′32″N90°10′58″W / 32.29223°N 90.182864°W / 32.29223; -90.182864
District information
Type	Public
Motto	"Transforming lives through excellent education"
Grades	PreK–12
Established	1888
Superintendent	Dr. Errick L. Greene [1]
Accreditation(s)	Council of Great City Schools and College Board
Schools	52
Students and staff
Students	Nearly 21,000 Students
Staff	Nearly 5,000 employees
Athletic conference	5A-6A
Other information
Website	www.jackson.k12.ms.us

The Jackson Public School District (JPSD) or Jackson Public Schools (JPS) is a public school district serving the majority of Jackson, the state capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. ^[2] Established in 1888, it is the second largest and only urban school district in the state. ^[3]

History

Jackson schools integrated by law as per Derek Jerome Singleton vs. the Jackson Public School District, decided in 1969. ^[4] In 1969, 47% of the students were black. ^[5] The enrollment declined by 5,000 students between the fall semester of 1969 and February 1, 1970, due to white flight. ^[4] In fall 1970 the percentage of black students was now 61. A 1969 school bond proposed by the district failed as voters of all races were unsure what would happen as a result of integration; this was the first JPS bond that was not approved by voters. ^[5] By 1994 the district's student body was 85% black. Initially the Parents for Public Schools Jackson (PPSJ) focused on efforts for the district to retain middle and upper class students, but the organization decided circa the mid-2000s that this was not a viable goal anymore. In 2017 the enrollment was 96% black, with Hispanics being the next-largest racial group. ^[5]

In 2017 the district received its second F grade from the state government, so the state announced it would make efforts to take over management. Instead the state and the office of mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba partnered with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to manage the district. ^[6]

Superintendent

Dr. Errick L. Greene is the superintendent of Jackson Public Schools. The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees announced Dr. Greene's appointment in the fall of 2018. Dr. Greene's commitment to education spans more than 25 years. His career started in the classroom teaching middle school and upper elementary students. Later, he became a principal, principal supervisor, chief of staff, and consultant to senior district leaders in Washington, D.C.; Detroit; Syracuse, New York; Baltimore; and Newark, New Jersey.

Board of trustees

• Dr. Edward D. Sivak Jr., President, Ward 1 ^[7]
• Ms. Letitia S. Johnson, Member, Ward 2
• Frank Figgers, Member, Ward 3
• Ms. Barbara Hilliard, Vice President, Ward 4
• Dr. Jeanne Hairston, Member, Ward 5
• Cynthia Thompson, Member, Ward 6
• Dr. Robert Luckett, Secretary, Ward 7

The Jackson Public School District is governed by the Board of Trustees. Each member is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council to represent the schools in each of the city's seven wards.

Facts

Jackson Public Schools is the second-largest school district in Mississippi, serving nearly 21,000 scholars, representing more than 80 percent of school-aged children in the state's capital and only urban municipality. Jackson, Mississippi has about 170,000 residents in an area of 104 square miles. There are 7 high schools, 10 middle schools, 31 elementary schools, and 4 special program schools comprising the District's 52 school sites. These schools are divided into 7 feeder patterns based on the high school receiving the area's scholars.

There are nearly 5,000 employees in the District, which offers a variety of special programs such as Academic and Performing Arts Complex, International Baccalaureate, and Montessori.

Thanks to a Bond Referendum in 2006, three new schools were established–Kirksey Middle School, serving families in north Jackson, and Bates Elementary and Cardozo Middle Schools, serving the south Jackson community. The new schools opened in 2010. A second Bond Referendum passed in 2018. Work on 2018 Bond Construction Projects is underway.

In March 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Pecan Park Elementary and Brinkley Middle Schools as a part of her Let's Move program. ^[8]

Schools

Callaway Feeder Pattern

• Robert M. Callaway High School (Mississippi) (Grades 9-12)
  • Henry J. Kirksey Middle School (Grades 6-8), named for state senator and civil rights leader Henry Kirksey
  • John Henry Powell Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Emma Gertrude Green Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5), named for a schoolteacher
  • John Hopkins Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • North Jackson Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)

Forest Hill Feeder Pattern

• Forest Hill High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Cardozo Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Whitten Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Bates Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Oak Forest Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Timberlawn Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Van Winkle Elementary School (Grade Pre-K)

Jim Hill Feeder Pattern

• Jim Hill High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Blackburn Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Northwest Jackson IB Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Baker Elementary Schools (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Isable Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Obama Magnet IB Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Shirley (Lee) Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)

Lanier Feeder Pattern

• Lanier High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Brinkley Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Dawson Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Galloway Elementary Schools (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Johnson Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Smith Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Walton Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)

Murrah Feeder Pattern

• Murrah High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Chastain Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Bailey APAC Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Boyd Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Casey Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • McLeod Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • McWillie Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Spann Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Wells (Power) APAC Elementary School (Grades 4-5)

Provine Feeder Pattern

• Provine High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Blackburn Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Clausell Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Lake Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Pecan Park Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Raines Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)

Wingfield Feeder Pattern

• Wingfield High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Peeples Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Whitten Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • Key Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Lester Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Marshall Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Sykes Elementary School (Grades K-5)
  • Wilkins Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)

Special Schools

• Capital City Alternative School
• Career Development Center
• JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School
• Re-Engaging in Education for All to Progress

Former schools

The former Central High School, now the headquarters of the Mississippi Department of Education

• Central High School
• Council Manhattan High School
• Brinkley Senior High School (Blacks only) [Now Brinkley Middle School]

Special Programs

• Academic and Performing Arts Complex (APAC) ^{[9] [10]}
• Academies of Jackson
• Advanced Placement
• Advanced Seminar
• Arts Access
• Ask for More Arts
• Dual Enrollment Program
• Duke Talent Identification Program
• Gifted Education Program (GEP)-Open Doors
• Health-Related Professions
• International Baccalaureate
• Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
• Montessori
• National Honor Society
• Pre-Kindergarten
• Strings in the Schools
• Summer Reading Program: Read On, Jackson!
• Youth Court Schools
• Early College High School

Demographics

In 2017 96% of the students were black, and the next largest racial group was Hispanic students. That year about 99% of the students were eligible to receive lunches at school for no cost or for a reduced cost; in other words they were classified as low income. Circa 2017 the median income for the city of Jackson was $32,250. ^[5]

In 2017 Susan Womack, president of the PPSJ from 2000 to 2012, stated that middle to upper-class families in Jackson tended to leave public school after elementary school, with parents who remained in Jackson enrolling their children in private school, and those who wished to continue enrolling their children in public schools moving to Madison County. ^[5]

In the first month of the 1969–1970 school year, the district had 39,079 students: 20,851, or 53%, were white, and 18,228, or 47%, were black. In the first month of the 1970–1971 school year, the enrollment was 30,723 students: 11,968, or 39%, were white, and 18,755, or 61%, were black. ^[11] In 1994 the district had 32,731 students, with 27,868 - 85% - being black; this was the first year that the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) published racial demographics of school districts. ^[5]

2006-07 school year

There were a total of 31,941 students enrolled in the Jackson Public 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 97.51% African American, 1.83% White, 0.45% Hispanic, 0.18% Asian, and 0.03% Native American. ^[12] 76.6% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch. ^[13]

Previous school years

School Year	Enrollment	Gender Makeup		Racial Makeup
		Female	Male	Asian	African American	Hispanic	Native American	White
2005-06 [12]	32,403	50%	50%	0.15%	97.25%	0.42%	0.02%	2.16%
2004-05 [12]	31,611	50%	50%	0.18%	97.01%	0.35%	0.03%	2.43%
2003-04 [12]	31,640	50%	50%	0.19%	96.25%	0.31%	0.03%	3.22%
2002-03 [14]	31,529	50%	50%	0.21%	95.83%	0.23%	0.04%	3.70%

Accountability statistics

	2006-07 [15]	2005-06 [16]	2004-05 [17]	2003-04 [18]	2002-03 [19]
District Accreditation Status	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited
School Performance Classifications
Level 5 (Superior Performing) Schools	6	7	4	3	2
Level 4 (Exemplary) Schools	14	7	12	10	13
Level 3 (Successful) Schools	28	32	28	30	27
Level 2 (Under Performing) Schools	7	9	11	10	11
Level 1 (Low Performing) Schools	0	0	0	2	2
Not Assigned	1	1	1	2	2

School uniforms

In April 2005, the district adopted a policy requiring elementary and middle school pupils to wear uniforms. ^[20]

See also

• Mississippi portal
• Schools portal

• List of school districts in Mississippi

References

1. "Jackson Public Schools–Office of the Superintendent".
2. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Hinds County, MS." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on December 27, 2018.
3. "Jackson State University | Center of Excellence in S.T.E.M. Education | Institutional Partners". Archived from the original on 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
4. Taylor, Ayana (2004-05-12). "JPS, Then and Now". Jackson Free Press . Retrieved 2019-11-18.
5. Dreher, Arielle (2017-11-15). "How Integration Failed in Jackson's Public Schools from 1969 to 2017". Jackson Free Press . In JPS, 99 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, as determined by federal poverty guidelines.
6. Dreher, Arielle (2017-11-01). "A Different Kind of Takeover for JPS". Jackson Free Press . Retrieved 2019-11-18.
7. "Jackson Public Schools - School Board". Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
8. "First Lady Michelle Obama visits Pecan Park Elementary - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS". Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
9. "Jackson Public Schools - Advanced Academics". Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
10. "Jackson Public Schools - Special Programs". Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
11. "Jackson Municipal School District Enrollment by Race". Jackson Free Press . 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
12. "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007.
13. "2006-07 State, District, and School Enrollment by Race/Gender with Poverty Data" (XLS). Mississippi Department of Education. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-05-18.^{[ dead link ]}
14. "Mississippi Report Card for 2002-2003". Office of Educational Accountability, Mississippi Department of Education. 2004-09-02. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
15. "2007 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2007-09-13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
16. "2006 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2006-09-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
17. "2005 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2005-09-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
18. "2004 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2004-09-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
19. "2003 Results" (PDF). Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Mississippi Department of Education. 2003-11-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
20. "School Uniforms a Must in Jackson Public Schools". Sun Herald. April 27, 2005. p. A3. Retrieved July 10, 2011.

Further reading

• The State Takeover of JPS - A series of articles from the Jackson Free Press
• Evers v. Jackson Municipal Separate School District, 232 F. Supp. 241 (S.D. Miss. 1964)

External links

• Jackson Public School District