The Benton County School District is a public

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

based in Ashland,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

(

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

). The district's boundaries parallel that of Benton County.

History

Ashland Academy was established in Ashland in 1882. Reverend Enoch Wines was the school's first principal. W. P. Gunn also served as principal of the school. F. S. Abney was Ashland High School's principal in 1915. After the school was integrated, many white students left the school. As of 1965 the school calendar began in the mid-summer but then, in order to allow pupils to assist in the agricultural economy, dismissed for a month or longer in a "split session".Bolton, Charles C. '' The Hardest Deal of All: The Battle Over School Integration in Mississippi, 1870-1980''.

University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi, founded in 1970, is a publisher that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi. Universities * Alcorn State University *Delta State University *Jackson State University *Mississippi State U ...

, 2007. . p
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Segregated schools in the county were more equalized than in other places.

Schools

* Ashland Middle/High School (Grades 6-12) * Ashland Elementary School (Grades K-5) * Hickory Flat Attendance Center (Grades K-12) In 1964 (prior to the end of racial segregation) the district had a school for whites in Ashland, a school for whites in Hickory Flat, and a school for blacks in

Old Salem Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organize ...

. Unlike other areas, the Old Salem school, renovated in 1959, was at the time the school with the highest level of modernization, and there was less inequality between the white and black schools compared to other areas.

Demographics

2006-07 school year

There were a total of 1,340 students enrolled in the Benton County 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 52.01% African American, 46.34% White, 1.19% Hispanic, and 0.45% Asian. 87.2% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.

Previous school years

Accountability statistics

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.benton.k12.ms.us Education in Benton County, Mississippi School districts in Mississippi