ABOUT THE PROJECT

In September 2025, Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District formalized an expanded ongoing partnership with Mississippi State University for the purpose of building a new high school on the college campus. Constructed to serve nearly 1400 students in a 227,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility, the new Starkville High School will open a world of unprecedented opportunities for advanced academics, performing arts, innovative extra-curricular activities, and workforce development.

The new Starkville High School is slated to be completed in Summer 2028 and will welcome the district's 9th-12th grade students. The facility, which is currently under construction, will provide the following spaces for exemplary learning experiences in academics, the arts, and athletics. In addition, the site will become a memorable showcase for excellence as we welcome members of the Starkville community and visitors from around the state and region for performances and competitions.

ACADEMICS & COMMON SPACES

• 227,000-square foot facility
• Classroom wing with common lab space
• Administrative and operational spaces
• Cafeteria with outdoor patio
• Courtyard connecting classroom wing and common spaces
• Unified campus with the existing Partnership School

VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

• Performing Arts Center and Theater Wing

  • 900+ seat auditorium with floor and upper gallery seating
  • Full working stage with lighting, sound and control center
  • Backstage dressing rooms, scenery shop, costume and prop areas
  • Black Box theater with flexible seating for innovative performances and presentations

• Music Wing

  • Two Band Halls to facilitate rehearsal for multiple ensembles
  • Band conference room, music library and office space
  • Band girls and boys dressing rooms
  • Choral room
  • Large and small choral ensemble rehearsal spaces
  • Piano rehearsal space
  • Practice rooms for individual or small group choral and piano rehearsal
  • Choral music library, classroom and office space

• Visual Arts Cluster

  • Group instructional arts studio and computer lab spaces
  • Wood shop
  • Photography lab and dark room
  • Sculpture lab and kiln room

ATHLETICS

• Main Gymnasium with 2600+ seating capacity
• Boys and girls locker, training and weight rooms
• Concessions space and ticket booth
• Street level public access
• Practice Gymnasium with single-side 400+ seating capacity
• Practice field
• Field House (Phase III)
• Covered practice field and outdoor track (Phase III)

HIGH SCHOOL LOCATION

The new Starkville High School is located at the corner of Hwy 182 and the George Perry Street entrance to Mississippi State University. It sits on a combined site with the existing Partnership School, which will be incorporated into SHS programming to create a unified campus. Once the facility is complete, 6th and 7th grade middle school students will no longer be housed at the university site. The site plan below shows the unified campus, the new construction footprint and areas of the facility to be completed with each phase of construction.

CONSTRUCTION PHASES

For completion of the high school project, we currently anticipate the following three phases of construction:

• Phase I - Site Package
  Tree removal, earth work and site preparation
  Began in April 2026
• Phase II - Building Package
  Primary new construction to include academic spaces, Performing Arts Center, Gyms and office/auxiliary spaces
  Projected start date - July 2026
• Phase III - Athletic Package
  Construction of proposed practice field/track, field house and auxiliary spaces
  Projected start date - April 2027

A is for Access

In 2025, Starkville High School was awarded an A-rating by the Mississippi Department of Education for the first time, based in part on state test scores from the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP), ACT college entrance exam performance, Career and Technical Education enrollment and other factors. The A-rating is a result of the hard work and dedication of Starkville High students, faculty and administration, but is only part of the story of the robust array of opportunities SHS seeks to provide students. The school's designation as a "high performing high school" puts the new construction project on a trajectory for excellence.

As the district moves forward with a high school construction project that expands the opportunities McGee mentioned, the access to resources, programs and people available to students will likely be the greatest benefit found in the district's partnership with the state's largest research university. Proximity to campus will afford students the chance to take dual enrollment courses, utilize university lab and research spaces, experience STEM opportunities, and interact with professionals and instructors in a variety of fields of study. Those don't carry a construction cost, but the value they provide to students has a long-term return on our community's investment.

"We raised the bar with Starkville High School moving to an A-rated school in 2025. It shows the dedication of our faculty, staff and students, and I think it's exciting for our families. We already know the outstanding variety of opportunities we're providing kids at SHS. The rating is a validation for the district, a validation for the high school, and a validation for the community."

–– Dr. Tony McGee, SOCSD Superintendent

As the district moves forward with a high school construction project that expands the opportunities for all 9th-12th grade students in Oktibbeha County, the access to resources, programs and people available to students will likely be the greatest benefit found in the district's partnership with the state's largest research university. Proximity to campus will afford students the chance to take dual enrollment courses, utilize university lab and research spaces, experience STEM opportunities, and interact with professionals and instructors in a variety of fields of study. Those don't carry a construction cost, but the value they provide to students has a long-term return on our community's investment.