"It's an historic moment," said SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee as the district celebrated a much-anticipated repeat performance alongside the launch of another groundbreaking partnership.
On Thursday, Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District joined with Mississippi State University to publicly formalize an expanded partnership aimed at developing and constructing a new Starkville High School on the university campus. MSU President, Dr. Mark Keenum, and SOCSD Superintendent, Dr. Tony McGee officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Mississippi State and SOCSD at the Signing Ceremony held at Partnership Middle School. The SOCSD Board of Trustees approved the MOU at its September board meeting.
"Today marks the beginning of the latest chapter in the highly successful partnership between Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. By working together, we are creating new and exciting opportunities for students along every step of their educational journey,” Keenum said. “The new Starkville High School will be a true asset and resource for not only our community, but a model for innovative teaching, learning, discovery and career and technical education for school districts around the state and across the country.”
McGee echoed Dr. Keenum's remarks and highlighted the unique moment the MOU provides the district and community to raise the bar for students in public education.
"It's a new era for Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District and our expanded partnership with MSU," he said. "This new high school provides our boys and girls with a new opportunity beyond what you find in a traditional high school because it is partnered with a major university. There's not another one in the state, and very few across the nation."
McGee's description of a "new era' is also centered in the district's growing track record for high performance that he says gains validation from the state's updated district accountability ratings, also released on Thursday.
Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has earned an A-rating from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) for the second year in a row based on state test scores from the 2024-2025 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP). The letter grade is based, in part, on the number of students who achieved proficiency and/or growth on the state's assessment of English/Language Arts, Math and Science for 3rd-8th grade students, as well as graduation rate, college and career readiness, high school end-of-course exams and other factors.
MAAP scores from the 2024-2025 assessments resulted in an overall increase in the district's numbers to solidify the A-rating. School-level ratings saw Overstreet Elementary maintain an A for the second year. Sudduth Elementary also earned its first A in this year's ratings from MDE.
In addition, the announcement of the district's repeated A-rating and the signing of the new MOU are notably tied together in the news that Starkville High School was also named an A-rated school for the first time based on MDE criteria. McGee said that the SHS A-rating is a testament to hard work and dedication, and the task of developing a new 9th-12th grade facility with a "high performing high school" designation puts the project on a trajectory for excellence.
"We raised the bar with Starkville High School moving from a B-rated to an A-rated school this year," McGee said. "I think it just 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."
"This is our moment," said Dr. Watress Harris, principal of Starkville High School, as he echoed Dr. McGee's appreciation for the work of the SHS team and their commitment to student-centered instruction.
"This incredible milestone is not just a letter grade," Harris said. "It is a powerful symbol of the pursuit of excellence. It reflects years of intentional effort and the belief in what’s possible when we all work together toward a shared vision. SHS has risen to meet every challenge, embracing change, implementing best practices, and never losing sight of the potential within every student."
The new "high-performing" standard for SHS aligns well with expectations surrounding the new high school in partnership with MSU, and increased opportunities are already part of the agreement, McGee said. An interest in connecting the high school classroom with available careers through hands-on learning and real-world experiences is a key part of the discussions.
"Working with MSU for the new high school opens doors for students," he said. "I think that maybe gives kids a greater vision into what's possible that they otherwise might not have. They will have greater resources and experiences that bring real-world jobs to life, and they'll get first-hand insight into career paths that are available to them."
That first-hand insight will come through the joint commitment from MSU and SOCSD to develop the groundbreaking high school with an emphasis on "STEAM" learning opportunities –– those centered in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The goal is to connect those key areas to vibrant educational experiences available through the facilities, professionals and programs at MSU. Although the current MOU leaves much room for creativity and expansion as the partnership and the high school project develop, the STEAM emphasis is already part of the plan.
In addition, the MOU outlines the parties' agreement to design, offer and deliver dual enrollment opportunities with Mississippi State for the district's high school students. Currently, Starkville High offers more than 50 dual credit/dual enrollment courses primarily through East Mississippi Community College and online platforms. An expansion of these offerings with Mississippi State will provide greater resources and opportunities for students to participate in advanced studies, gain college credit while still in high school, and experience what it's like to study on a college campus. McGee said that experience can be a game-changer for many of the students in Oktibbeha County.
"It's no secret that Oktibbeha County has a large percentage of students who live below the federal poverty line. That's not unique to Starkville," he said. "But, when you have poverty in your community and you have a means of expanding opportunities like what we'll be able to do through this partnership –– I think it's special."
"I'm a first-generation college student myself," McGee continued. "We all feel more comfortable in a place that we're familiar with, and the new high school located on the MSU campus will provide that background knowledge of what to expect. We hope that being on the campus every day, interacting with teachers, professors and university leadership, and participating in the resources the university provides will help students feel comfortable and to see themselves as being able to graduate from a major university."
With a second-year A-rating under its belt and a newly inked partnership to create a unique high school learning environment, the district is poised to embrace the "new era" Superintendent McGee mentioned, and it's an era that positions Starkville, Oktibbeha County and Mississippi State University at the forefront of workforce development and the connection of classroom to college to community.
"You hope that it builds a dream in a kid," McGee said as he reflected on this next step in the district's partnership with MSU. "I think that's really the significance of this. We hope to build an experience where all our boys and girls can see themselves succeeding and graduating from college if that's the path they want to pursue."
