Washington School (Mississippi)

Washington School is a private school in Greenville, Mississippi. Washington School offers pre-school, elementary, middle, and college preparatory education to Greenville and the surrounding areas. It was established as a segregation academy in response to Brown v. Board of Education.[1]

Washington School
Address
1605 East Reed Road

Greenville
,
Mississippi
Coordinates33°23′03″N 91°1′29″W
Information
TypePrivate segregation academy
MottoExitus Acta Probat
Established1969
HeadmasterJeff Pinnow
Secondary PrincipalJohn Grant
Gradespre-kindergarten — 12
Enrollment740 (approximately)
Color(s)Blue and Gold   
MascotThe General
RivalPillow Academy
AffiliationMississippi Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Websitehttp://www.generals.ws
Last updated: 4 December 2017

History

“One act of stupidity and we have paid for it ever since. The story of Greenville would have been very different if the school had never opened. I’ve been watching two generations of families and kids, and all the resegregation. Now every white family that can afford it sends their kids there.” Bob Boyd on the state of the school systems in Greenville 2016, Delta Democrat Times.[2]

Further information: Education segregation in the Mississippi Delta

The school was established as a segregation academy[3] in response to the racial integration of the local public schools in 1969,[1] with its first classes beginning in September 1970.[4] In 1971, the school joined the Mississippi Private Schools Association, which had been created to help segregation academies organize school athletics and file legal documents to qualify for tax-deductible status with the IRS.[5]

In its first year, Washington School had a total of 23 staff members and 323 students. Classes were originally held in the current elementary building. Enrollment in 2016 was 700 students with the average size of a graduating class being around 60 students. As of 2016, the school's students are 98% Caucasian,[2] but Washington County is over 72% African American and the Greenville metro area is over 85% African American .[6][7]

Notable alumni

Eden Brent, musician[8]

References
  1. Hongo, Andrew (16 May 2014). "The Fight for Education Equity in Mississippi". NBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  2. Hancock, LynNell (2016-10-03). "The Anonymous Town That Was the Model of Desegregation in the Civil-Rights Era". Hechinger Report. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  3. Adams, Jane. "JANE ADAMS Southern Illinois University, Carbondale D. GORTON Carbondale, Illinois Confederate Lane: Class, race, and ethnicity in the Mississippi Delta" (PDF). Southern Illinois University. p. 302. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  4. "Greenville Schools". Delta State University Library. Delta State University. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. Flora IV, Ernest. "Instant Schools: The Frenzied Formation And Early Days Of The Mississippi Private School AssociationMississippi Private School Association". University of Mississippi. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. "Census Bureau: Washington County, Mississippi QuickFacts".
  7. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Greenville city, Mississippi". www.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-03-12.
  8. https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/mississippi-musicians/eden-brent
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