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Columbus has long been a leader in education. The state’s first public school was opened here in 1821, and is still in operation today. The nation’s first public college for women, Mississippi University for Women

(MUW), was founded in Columbus in 1884. It now admits men, though women’s studies still have priority. MUW is among the top Southeastern universities to have had the most female graduates who’ve earned doctorates.

MUW consistently wins national accolades for its academic achievements. It ranked #1 among the best public regional liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report in its 11th annual America’s Best Colleges guide for 2000. For the fifth consecutive year, MUW ranked in the top five for “academic reputation” among Tier 1 in rankings of Southern liberal arts colleges. MUW also ranked in the Top 10 Southern regional liberal arts colleges for diversity. The average ACT score for entering freshmen is the highest in the state among public schools, and MUW is consistently awarded prestigious honors, such as the Clare Boothe Luce Professorship of Mathematics. This “little public ivy-league university” boasts 24 campus buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Located on the campus of MUW is the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, one of the nation’s four residential high schools for academically gifted students. Similar in scope and discipline to a college schedule, the students who win acceptance to MSMS must be qualified and mature, for they undergo rigorous training. Students graduate with more than 24 course units and are very well prepared for admission to major colleges. Room and board are at no cost to students.

Just twenty miles to the west of Columbus is Mississippi State University (MSU), the state’s principal research and service university where more than 800 faculty members teach and conduct research in ten colleges and schools. MSU is among the nation’s top 100 institutions in its external funding for research and development in science and engineering related fields.

Closer by, the Golden Triangle Campus of East Mississippi Community College is located in the center of the tri-county near the Golden Triangle Airport. It is recognized as a state leader in technical, vocational, and industrial training, and offers a two-year academic degree and a variety of other educational opportunities, including nine Vocational Certificate programs and 12 Technical Associate of Applied Science Degree programs. At EMCC, students receive hands-on training with the latest in state-of-the-art equipment in comfortable and modern facilities to prepare them for employment. The Golden Triangle campus also has a full academic curriculum, active since 1997. Students can now enroll in fully accredited, university transferable academic classes that can lead to a two-year Associate Arts Degree. Classes are offered day and evening year-round at both the Golden Triangle campus and the Columbus Air Force Base. EMCC’s Skill/Tech Center serves as a catalyst for training members of the college’s six county district workforce to perform efficiently in a high-tech, high performance workplace. The Adult Education Program (ABE) is the state’s largest and provides opportunities for adults to acquire the equivalency of a high school diploma. The ABE is offered throughout the college district and in area businesses and industries. As a leader in the field of industrial training, the Golden Triangle campus is home to the Center for Manufacturing Technology, the state’s first advanced technology training center. The “Center at EMCC” is as multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art training facility providing regional industries with requisite training to maintain a competitive workforce in the 21st century’s global economy. The Center at EMCC is industry-driven, industry governed, and dedicated to the enhancement of technology transfer services by assisting both new and existing industries in helping to improve productivity.

Columbus is justly proud of the Columbus City School District, which is known statewide for excellence in education. Approximately 60% of the professional staff of the district hold a master’s or a doctorate degree, or the designation of Specialist. The student-teacher ratio in the elementary schools is 18 to1 and 17 to1 in the secondary schools.

All schools in the Columbus Municipal School District are fully accredited by the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Enrichment courses are plentiful, including a program for the academically advantaged, as well as art, public school music, and physical education. Additionally, students have the option of participating in a subscription series provided by the Columbus Arts Council. The highly acclaimed Young People’s Artist Series offers four professional, live performances by touring companies each school year, as well as in-school residencies in various diciplines.

The Columbus City School District consists of five elementary schools, two middle schools, one secondary school, a vocational center, a resource center and a central administrative office. The residenc e address of the parent or guardian determines which elementary school a student attends. Local schools or the central office will be pleased to provide information. Enrollment for the district is more than 6,000 in kindergarten through high school.

The Lowndes County School District is growing in great leaps and bounds with new industry, restaurants, and other businesses joining the community. The Lowndes County schools are some of the best in the nation, both academically and athletically. Lowndes County School District is the largest district in the neighboring counties and is the 18th largest in the state (2008-2009). State assessment results are consistently above the state in most tested areas.

The Lowndes County School District consists of three campuses. Caledonia School in northern Lowndes County is home to the students of Columbus Air Force Base, the first Model Reading Renaissance School in Mississippi, the First Master Certified Reading Renaissance School in the United States and the first Level 5 school in Lowndes County. New Hope is located in eastern Lowndes County and houses the county’s largest campus. New Hope excels in athletics, bringing home state titles in numerous sports year after year. West Lowndes is located in western Lowndes County. Recently constructed elementary and renovated high school buildings make West Lowndes the most up-to-date facilities in our district.

All of the Lowndes County schools are accredited by the Mississippi Department of Education and each high school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and all schools are currently engaged in the SACS accreditation process. Each campus enjoys vast amounts of community involvement and support. Each school has an active ‘Partners in Progress’ program, a program in which local businesses or industries adopt a campus and work with the school to better the students’ education and lives.

The Lowndes County School District curriculum includes technology and other academically advanced and challenging programs. Students have access to computers, computer labs, Internet, and many web-based programs throughout the district, including electronic math textbooks. Parents are kept informed of school and district happenings through ALERT NOW. State of the art science labs and instructional labs with Promethean Board technology are available to every student. Each high school has six College Board advanced placement classes taught by College Board certified AP teachers. Students in Advanced Placement classes are supported by a coalition grant in the amount of $2.8 million shared with a neighboring school district. Advanced Placement classes are an effective way to aid the college-bound students in jump starting their post-secondary careers.

For more information concerning the Lowndes County School District or the schools that make up the district, please visit our website at http://www.lowndes.k12.ms.us. Thank you for your support of the Lowndes County School District. We are proud to serve your family’s educational needs as we prepare our students to become successful and productive citizens.

Columbus and Lowndes County residents have access to five private and parochial schools, all of which honor accreditation standards. Heritage Academy offers grades K – 12. Founded in 1964, Heritage Academy has a complete computer lab with new IBM computers available for students. The private school is pleased to report that 99% of its graduates enter colleges and universities throughout the country, and that a recent graduating class of 45 seniors had among the graduates five National Merit semifinalists.

Other private schools in the area and are Immanuel Center for Christian Education (pre-school through high school), Victory Christian Academy (pre-school through high school), Annunciation Catholic School (K-6),and Columbus Christian School (K-3).