Education

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Marshall County students from prekindergarten age through 12th grade are served by two public schools systems and three private schools.

• Marshall County School System operates 8 public schools
• Holly Springs School System operates 3 schools
• Three private schools

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

County and city leaders have focused on creating public school systems that provide students the educational opportunities they need to become good citizens and productive members of the workforce. Residents have responded positively in providing the resources needed to keep school facilities and programs up to date.

The Marshall County School System provides an educational program suited to needs of its students, families, and communities. Instruction is focused on state and local curriculum frameworks aimed at mastery of basic and advanced skills. The system operates eight schools across the county:

• • Byhalia Elementary
  • Byhalia Middle School
  • Byhalia High School
  • H. W. Byers Elementary and Middle School (north of Holly Springs)
  • H. W Byers High School (north of Holly Springs)
  • Potts Camp School (grades 4–12)
  • Mary Reid Elementary School (grades K–3 at Potts Camp)
  • Galena Elementary School (grades K–8 in southwestern Marshall County)

The Holly Springs School System has as its mission to educate students who can compete in the global community. It operates the following facilities in the city of Holly Springs:

• • Holly Springs Primary School (grades pre-K–2)
  • Holly Springs Intermedia School (grades 3–6)
  • Holly Springs Junior High School (grades 7-8)
  • Holly Springs High School (including a Career and Technical Center)

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The county’s private schools offer options to parents seeking alternatives to public school education.

• • Marshall Academy in Holly Springs (kindergarten through high school)
  • Holy Family School in Holly Springs (pre kindergarten through sixth grade)
  • Friendship Christian Academy in Victoria, MS (kindergarten through high school)

Four-year Colleges and Universities

Higher education opportunities abound in Mississippi. The state operates a system of eight universities across the state, each with strengths tailored to the needs of those it serves. The two largest — the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University — are not far from Marshall County. In addition, Mississippians take pride in a number of outstanding private colleges. One of those, Rust College, is located within the county.

• Rust College is in Holly Springs, Marshall County
• Northwest Community College is 35 miles from Marshall County
• University of Mississippi: 31 miles from Marshall County
• Mississippi State University: 125 miles from Marshall County

The University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”)

The University of Mississippi is renowned for its programs in the humanities, sciences, medicine, and law and is ranked by Forbes.com among the top 25 U.S. public universities. With its main campus in Oxford, less than 20 miles from the southern border of Marshall County, the university is readily accessible to the county’s businesses, industries, and residents. The university also operates campuses in Tupelo and Southaven.

• Center for Manufacturing Excellence: This UM center combines knowledge from existing academic disciplines with input from manufacturing companies and industry experts to help students acquire the technical skills needed for successful manufacturing plus expertise in areas such as management, accounting, communication, leadership, and human resources.

Mississippi State University (MSU)

MSU is respected internationally and has strengths in engineering, business, life sciences, veterinary medicine, agriculture, and forestry. Its main campus in Starkville is about 125 miles from Holly Springs and is readily accessible by four-lane highways. As one of the state’s two land-grant institutions, it has placed special emphasis on outreach programs that extend the faculty’s expertise to industry, communities, agricultural producers, landowners, and others.

• Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems: In Starkville and Canton, the Center conducts engineering extension work for Mississippi’s manufacturers; offers workforce development, education, and training; and provides assistance with business systems and information technologies.

Rust College

Rust College in Holly Springs is the state’s second oldest private college. It was founded in 1866 by the Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Today, it is a fully accredited coeducational liberal arts college with academic programs in business, technology, the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and education.

Community and Technical Colleges

Northwest Community College

Northwest Community College operates a main campus in Senatobia, about 16 miles from the western border of Marshall County (31 miles from Holly Springs), and branch campuses in Oxford, just south of the county, and Southaven. Some classes are offered in Ashland, about 20 miles east of Holly Springs. The college operates WIN Job Centers in Oxford, Senatobia, and Southaven.

• The Workforce Development Center serves business and industry by assessing training needs, analyzing job tasks, providing training in workplace basic and advanced skills, offering leadership training, and helping with development of long-range training plans. The Center can also provide industry-specific preemployment training, customized skills training, and training materials such as manuals and multimedia aids.