Quality of Life: Education
Abundant opportunities for high-quality education — from prekindergarten through doctoral programs — are readily
available to residents and industries in Yalobusha county.
Public School Systems
Water Valley School District
The Water Valley School District serves northern Yalobusha County, operating Davidson Elementary
School (kindergarten through 6th grade) and Water Valley High School
(grades 7 through 12) in Water Valley. The
district consistently meets Level 5 accreditation, the state’s
highest performance level. The district is committed to
maintaining this high performance level while adopting the Mississippi
Department of Education’s challenging new standards that have
significantly increased the difficulty of the curriculum.
Coffeeville School District
The Coffeeville School District serves the southern
two-thirds of the county and operates two schools. The elementary
school serves students from prekindergarten through seventh grade,
while the high school accommodates students from grades 8 through 12.
The district has been rated by the state as Successful each year since
2002. A recently established prekindergarten program better prepares
those students who are not eligible for Headstart or have not attended
a rigorous daycare program. An Upward Bound program provides high school students an
opportunity to take courses at the University of Mississippi to expand
their understanding of college life.
Four-Year Colleges and Universities
Of the six public universities in Mississippi, two of the largest are
within a short drive of Yalobusha County. Both universities are doctoral-degree-granting institutions. In
2007–08, total enrollment on all campuses of each university was
a little over 17,000 students.
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (“Ole
Miss”), with its main campus at
Oxford, is about 18 miles from Water Valley in the northeast
corner of the county. Its acclaimed health sciences campus, the UM
Medical Center in Jackson, operates a
teaching hospital and offers both medical and graduate degrees as
well as nursing programs. The university
has strengths in law, business, basic and applied
sciences, music, and the humanities. A Center for Manufacturing Excellence is currently under development. In
2008, the university was ranked among the nation’s top 25
public universities on Forbes.com.
Mississippi State University
With its
main campus at Starkville, Mississippi State University is about 65 miles from Yalobusha County. The university has strengths in engineering, life sciences, agriculture, forestry,
and veterinary medicine. It offers extension and outreach programs
to industry, communities, agricultural producers, and others. The Center for
Advanced Vehicular Systems, with
locations at Starkville and Canton, develops
methods for designing and producing advanced vehicles at superior
costs. The CAVS Extension Center at Canton provides direct
engineering support for Nissan and its major suppliers;
engineering extension work for Mississippi's manufacturers;
workforce development, education, and training; and business
systems and information technologies.
Outstanding nationally recognized private colleges include Millsaps
College and Mississippi College in the Jackson area.
Community and Technical Colleges
Two community colleges are within easy reach of Yalobusha County. Both offer workforce training and other
services of value to business and industry.
Holmes Community College
The largest of the four campuses of Holmes Community College is
located in Grenada, just 8 miles south of Yalobusha County. Offering the lowest
tuition and overall fees in the community college system, Holmes seeks
to make high-quality educational opportunities available to all through
campus-based and distance education programs. It
offers Associate in Arts degrees, Associate in Applied Science
degrees, and Career certificates. The Workforce Development Department provides training that is
relevant, flexible, easily accessible, and industry-driven. Two
Advanced Manufacturing Centers with state-of-the-art equipment are
located in Grenada and Ridgeland, specializing in training for the
automotive industry.
Northwest Community College
Headquartered in Senatobia, Mississippi, Northwest Community College is 38 miles north of Oakland in
Yalobusha County on Interstate 55. Studies are also offered at Oxford, just a few miles north of Yalobusha
County. A Workforce Development
Center offers business and industry services such as job task analysis,
training needs assessment, assistance with the development of
long-range training plans, workplace basic skills, industry specific
preemployment training, customized skills training, advanced skills
training, training manuals and multimedia training aids, total quality
management, and leadership training. The college operates WIN Job Centers in Oxford, Senatobia, and Southaven.
Water Valley School District