No more MPSA...
- Thread starter Maroon Eagle
- Start date
- Status
quality education alternatives. That's true of what, 10-20% of private schools in this state. Most private schools are not located on a booming road with a quality school right up said road.</p>
Maybe some of these are candidate members from Mississippi? Not to mention another three from Louisiana. Looks to be around 44.
There are three types of private schools in Mississippi.
True, elite private schools.
These schools are great academic schools (Prep, JA, MRA, etc.) that exist near good public schools. The students at these schools are mostly upper middle class or above, and do not neccessarily attend private school to get a better education (except in the instance of JA/Prep vs. Jackson Public Schools, but those families in NE Jackson could easily live in Madison). I have no problem with these schools - most, if not all of the ones in this category hold the same accreditation.
Private schools that offer a better academic alternative
These schools aren't quite Prep, but most are accredited by SACS and exist next to some subpar public schools (Hillcrest, Brookhaven Academy, Adams County Christian, Oak Hill, Heritage, etc.). Most of these students are there to get a better education, and a good number receive financial aid to do so.
Private schools that remain little more than segregation academies
These schools may masquerade as better options than the public schools in the area, but are not. They do not hold accreditation and are just horrible academic institutions. Again, I may offend someone, but schools in this category include Benton Academy, North Delta and Wayne Academy - there is no reason for these schools to exist other than for segregation reasons.
Have you ever wondered why Lousiiana and Arkansas have schools in the MPSA? Its because the MPSA is the only body that will accreditate them. They could not receive accreditation in their own states. A couple (Silliman comes to mind) have bettered themselves in recent years.
True, elite private schools.
These schools are great academic schools (Prep, JA, MRA, etc.) that exist near good public schools. The students at these schools are mostly upper middle class or above, and do not neccessarily attend private school to get a better education (except in the instance of JA/Prep vs. Jackson Public Schools, but those families in NE Jackson could easily live in Madison). I have no problem with these schools - most, if not all of the ones in this category hold the same accreditation.
Private schools that offer a better academic alternative
These schools aren't quite Prep, but most are accredited by SACS and exist next to some subpar public schools (Hillcrest, Brookhaven Academy, Adams County Christian, Oak Hill, Heritage, etc.). Most of these students are there to get a better education, and a good number receive financial aid to do so.
Private schools that remain little more than segregation academies
These schools may masquerade as better options than the public schools in the area, but are not. They do not hold accreditation and are just horrible academic institutions. Again, I may offend someone, but schools in this category include Benton Academy, North Delta and Wayne Academy - there is no reason for these schools to exist other than for segregation reasons.
Have you ever wondered why Lousiiana and Arkansas have schools in the MPSA? Its because the MPSA is the only body that will accreditate them. They could not receive accreditation in their own states. A couple (Silliman comes to mind) have bettered themselves in recent years.
The Mississippi total, if you'll notice, is 49, and I've subtracted all the schools that I believe are MHSAA (e.g., St. Andrew's and Piney Woods) or TSSAA (SBEC). Edit to add: I did count First Presbyterian since it is also a MPSA MAIS accredited school.
As an alum of SBEC I can say that when I came to State my freshmen year I was well ahead of the curve in all subjects. Chemistry English Comp and Algebra were all a breeze.
SBEC moved to TSSAA my sophomore year and it was done as a cost cutting measure because of travel. Our district games went from hour to two and half hour trips down to an hour at the most. The school has also seen an explosion in enrollment with the growth of Desoto County and it looks nothing like the school I went to when I graduated in 2000.
SBEC moved to TSSAA my sophomore year and it was done as a cost cutting measure because of travel. Our district games went from hour to two and half hour trips down to an hour at the most. The school has also seen an explosion in enrollment with the growth of Desoto County and it looks nothing like the school I went to when I graduated in 2000.
I'll try to break it down
Start with 49
Schools listed that do not play high school sports
Bass
Christ Covenant
Coast Episcopal
Education Center
FPDS
Magnolia Speech School
New Hope Christian
Presbyterian Day School
St. George's Episcopal
St. John's Episcopal
MHSAA schools
St. Andrew's
TSSAA schools
SBEC
That rings it to 37
8 Choctaw tribal schools brings it to 29
I missed Winston Academy, Pillow Academy and Wilkinson County Christian.
Start with 49
Schools listed that do not play high school sports
Bass
Christ Covenant
Coast Episcopal
Education Center
FPDS
Magnolia Speech School
New Hope Christian
Presbyterian Day School
St. George's Episcopal
St. John's Episcopal
MHSAA schools
St. Andrew's
TSSAA schools
SBEC
That rings it to 37
8 Choctaw tribal schools brings it to 29
I missed Winston Academy, Pillow Academy and Wilkinson County Christian.
Add those eight back in as well as Christ Covenant, FPDS, Presbyterian Day, and St. George's-- all current MAIS members (albeit of the elementary variety) is how I came up with 41.
I think technically the private schools cannot recruit. But, I am going to go out on a limb and say that both South Panola and Jackson Academy recruit.
I have lost track of the whole "middle school" thing. Are most MS High Schools 9-12? I think Prep would be just shy of 500 in that count -- not sure about JA. I know that JA has more students because it has more grades, but I didn't think there was a significant difference in class size.
I have lost track of the whole "middle school" thing. Are most MS High Schools 9-12? I think Prep would be just shy of 500 in that count -- not sure about JA. I know that JA has more students because it has more grades, but I didn't think there was a significant difference in class size.
UCS has pretty much billed themselves as a place to kids that had trouble at other schools. Certainly that isn't their whole student body. I have had kids at JA, Prep, First Pres, and UCS. And the principal (probably 5 principals ago) that they weren't looking to be particularly academically rigorous. UCS is just a place to park your kids, and I would offer that it is not up to NWR in terms of its academics.
I just listed them out and we are talking about 36 potential invitees to the MHSAA. (UCS is not listed, but I know that they are SACS for next school year)
Potential MHSAA classification in parenthesis, based on approximate enrollmet that is available
Adams County Christian (3A)
Bayou Academy (2A)
Brookhaven Academy (3A)
Canton Academy (3A)
Central Academy (2A)
Central Hinds Academy (3A)
Centreville Academy (3A)
Chamberlain Hunt Academy (2A)
Columbia Academy (3A)
Copiah Academy (3A)
Greenville Christian (2A)
Heritage Academy (4A)
Hillcrest Christian (3A)
Immanuel Christian (2A)
Indianola Academy (3A)
Jackson Academy (5A)
Jackson Prep (5A)
Kirk Academy (3A)
Lamar School (3A)
Lee Academy (4A)
Madison-Ridgeland Academy (5A)
Magnolia Heights (4A)
Marshall Academy (3A)
Oak Hill Academy (3A)
Parklane Academy (5A)
Pillow Academy (4A)
Porter's Chapel Academy (2A)
Presbyterian Christian (4A)
Russell Christian (2A)
Starkville Academy (4A)
Sylva-Bay Academy (2A)
Trinity Episcopal (2A)
University Christian (2A)
Washington School (4A)
Wilkinson County Christian (3A)
Winston Academy (3A)
Potential MHSAA classification in parenthesis, based on approximate enrollmet that is available
Adams County Christian (3A)
Bayou Academy (2A)
Brookhaven Academy (3A)
Canton Academy (3A)
Central Academy (2A)
Central Hinds Academy (3A)
Centreville Academy (3A)
Chamberlain Hunt Academy (2A)
Columbia Academy (3A)
Copiah Academy (3A)
Greenville Christian (2A)
Heritage Academy (4A)
Hillcrest Christian (3A)
Immanuel Christian (2A)
Indianola Academy (3A)
Jackson Academy (5A)
Jackson Prep (5A)
Kirk Academy (3A)
Lamar School (3A)
Lee Academy (4A)
Madison-Ridgeland Academy (5A)
Magnolia Heights (4A)
Marshall Academy (3A)
Oak Hill Academy (3A)
Parklane Academy (5A)
Pillow Academy (4A)
Porter's Chapel Academy (2A)
Presbyterian Christian (4A)
Russell Christian (2A)
Starkville Academy (4A)
Sylva-Bay Academy (2A)
Trinity Episcopal (2A)
University Christian (2A)
Washington School (4A)
Wilkinson County Christian (3A)
Winston Academy (3A)
Our playbook pretty much consisted of him running some kind of bootleg or QB option (we ran Notre Dame box) and all he had to do was turn the corner and no one could catch him. He got it naturally. His dad was an All American TE for Ole Miss and his head coach.
He graduated my freshmen year. I think I remember him either his freshmen or sophomore year throwing a TD pass against South Carolina but Fat Phil moved him to WR then DB and he never saw the field much. He's got a fat national championship ring though. I think he would have a ton of playing time if he had gone to Ole Miss.
He graduated my freshmen year. I think I remember him either his freshmen or sophomore year throwing a TD pass against South Carolina but Fat Phil moved him to WR then DB and he never saw the field much. He's got a fat national championship ring though. I think he would have a ton of playing time if he had gone to Ole Miss.
If from the list, are you taking into account that the schools include everyone from K-12 (which most MAIS schools are) in their enrollment?
from the 07-08 school year, plus a couple of more recent ones. Again, you have to add 30% to the actual enrollment before you place them in a class with MHSAA. So, for instance. MRA has 580 kids 9-12, so they are considered with an enrollment of 754. Taking the numbers from the public schools (available on the web) 754 puts MRA right between Vancleave and Saltillo in low 5A.
580 would be high 4A actually, between Lewisburg and Byhalia.
Here's the cutoffs (no private school could be below 2A in this plan)
2A - 305 or lower
3A - 306-476
4A - 477-738
5A - 739-1080
6A - over 1081
Just for fun -
Starkville is the smallest 6A school with 1105 students.
Madison Central is the largest 6A school with 2039 students (Harrison Central had 2800+ students last year, but has been split/West Harrisson HS)
Smallest 4A school- Richland 477 students
Largest 3A school - Kossuth 476 students
Smallest, non MDE school - Dexter 68 students
Next smallest, Brooks 75 students (played in football state championship game last year)
580 would be high 4A actually, between Lewisburg and Byhalia.
Here's the cutoffs (no private school could be below 2A in this plan)
2A - 305 or lower
3A - 306-476
4A - 477-738
5A - 739-1080
6A - over 1081
Just for fun -
Starkville is the smallest 6A school with 1105 students.
Madison Central is the largest 6A school with 2039 students (Harrison Central had 2800+ students last year, but has been split/West Harrisson HS)
Smallest 4A school- Richland 477 students
Largest 3A school - Kossuth 476 students
Smallest, non MDE school - Dexter 68 students
Next smallest, Brooks 75 students (played in football state championship game last year)
Everything fits into a nice little category to you. When I got to college and people heard I went to private school they actually asked me if I was racist. The view is, the reason people go to So and so Academy is because they don't want to go with the AA kids at the local public school. The truth is, sometimes the local public school sucks. The quality of education sucks, the student are unruly, the environment is hostile, and parents don't want to send their kids to such a place. Yet, for all of this, somebody sits back, judges, and spouts all manner of nonsense that sounds good but doesn't match reality.
No, the education I received is not as good as the one I would have received from Northwest Rankin. Problem is, I didn't live in NWR's school district. The education I received was better than the one the local public school district offered. Thus, that's where I went. Between decent and crap, I'll take decent. You might sit back and say, "well they aren't accredited so..." but you are failing to account for the fact that the accredited school sucks worse than the unaccredited academy.
"there is no reason for these schools to exist other than for segregation reasons"
That's utter and complete crap.
No, the education I received is not as good as the one I would have received from Northwest Rankin. Problem is, I didn't live in NWR's school district. The education I received was better than the one the local public school district offered. Thus, that's where I went. Between decent and crap, I'll take decent. You might sit back and say, "well they aren't accredited so..." but you are failing to account for the fact that the accredited school sucks worse than the unaccredited academy.
"there is no reason for these schools to exist other than for segregation reasons"
That's utter and complete crap.
There are too many private schools in Mississippi - a lot of them exists only for segregational reasons.
Case in point:
Wayne Academy - horrible school
Wayne County schools - average rating Level 4 including three Level 5 schools
However, Wayne County schools are mostly African American and WA is nearly 100 percent white
There are several instances of the same thing happening.
by the way - I am writing my thesis on the subject at hand. I am loving the feedback.
I surveyed freshmens and sophomores at 5 Mississippi colleges - MSU, UM, USM , MC and Delta State. 72 percent of graduates of private schools that I list in my third category admitted having problems adjusting academically to college (40 percent characterized their problems as major). Of those 72 percent, 87 percent checked "felt like my high school education was inadequate"
Thats opposed to 42 percent in the second catergory and 20 percent in the first catergory. Interesting enough, of the graduates of what I considered elitist private schools, only one response said that they had problems adjusting thought their high school education was inadequate
I'm working on breaking the public schools down to accreditation level, but top level is 47 percent said that they had problems adjusting.
Case in point:
Wayne Academy - horrible school
Wayne County schools - average rating Level 4 including three Level 5 schools
However, Wayne County schools are mostly African American and WA is nearly 100 percent white
There are several instances of the same thing happening.
by the way - I am writing my thesis on the subject at hand. I am loving the feedback.
I surveyed freshmens and sophomores at 5 Mississippi colleges - MSU, UM, USM , MC and Delta State. 72 percent of graduates of private schools that I list in my third category admitted having problems adjusting academically to college (40 percent characterized their problems as major). Of those 72 percent, 87 percent checked "felt like my high school education was inadequate"
Thats opposed to 42 percent in the second catergory and 20 percent in the first catergory. Interesting enough, of the graduates of what I considered elitist private schools, only one response said that they had problems adjusting thought their high school education was inadequate
I'm working on breaking the public schools down to accreditation level, but top level is 47 percent said that they had problems adjusting.
is one of the better non-accredited private schools. They need to make a few moves to achieve accreditation. If I lived in the Yazoo County district (where most of MA students come from) then no, Yazoo County schools are fine. That's my Benton Academy example though.
Yazoo City is under performing. It is also 98 percent AA. In fact, the schools in Mississippi that are underperforming are 92 percent AA. Fact. Part of my thesis. I am not a racist.</p>
Yazoo City is under performing. It is also 98 percent AA. In fact, the schools in Mississippi that are underperforming are 92 percent AA. Fact. Part of my thesis. I am not a racist.</p>
and classmate to many in the lower middle class range, I can honestly say that the vast majority of them (my classmates) would have gone to school with the AAs if the school district was worth a crap. Between paying tuition to an academy and going public, our parents would rather have sent us to public school. However, they felt they had no choice. This is why people such as yourself are being unfair in this thread. It's not as plain and simple as you make it sound. There's no reason for the existence of a private school next to a good public school. There is a very valid, pressing reason when the school district is bad.
If you lived where I grew up, you would have done the same thing our parents did - sent your kids to private school. It's the only valid option. It's not racism, segregation, or anything other than wanting the best that you can provide your kid. Was the academy I attended great? No. I've spoken before about the chemistry, or lack thereof, taught at the school. However, it was a long sight better than the alternative, or lack thereof.
If you lived where I grew up, you would have done the same thing our parents did - sent your kids to private school. It's the only valid option. It's not racism, segregation, or anything other than wanting the best that you can provide your kid. Was the academy I attended great? No. I've spoken before about the chemistry, or lack thereof, taught at the school. However, it was a long sight better than the alternative, or lack thereof.
to the academic rigors of any Rankin County school, but you made my point - they have made mistakes in the past that have hurt them and will continue to hurt them. Most of Rankin County thinks that it is a place to park troubled kids, when in fact, the new principal has made great strides in making that a pretty good school - its no NWR, but MRA is no Madison Central and it has been uber successful.
Your school sounds like it fits in the second category, not the third. The second category is decent private school where the public school is horrible Many of the ones in the third category pay their teachers under $16,000 a year - so they can't get good teachers, period. Yet their administrators make over $120,000 per year - that's pretty good bank to run a school with 200 students and about 80 sets of parents that don't care as long as their kids make As and Bs.
as long as the adults who particpate, and actually care have their kids in private school, they won't push hard for better public schools. But at the same time you can't blame them for putting their kids into private school.
Yet without the best students, parents who care, etc. it's hard to improve. It's a vicious cycle. In my hometown in NC, there was one private school, with 70 people in my grade, in a city of 250k. That was the only one. Rich, smart kids went to public school. Just how it is.
Yet without the best students, parents who care, etc. it's hard to improve. It's a vicious cycle. In my hometown in NC, there was one private school, with 70 people in my grade, in a city of 250k. That was the only one. Rich, smart kids went to public school. Just how it is.
that a parochial school was a religious school ran by a parish or diocese. The Diocese of Jackson, for instance, governs Madison St. Joseph. St. Andrew's is not run by the episcopal diocese, its governed by a board. It holds ties to the church the same way that Hillcrest holds ties to Hillcrest Baptist Church.
Many communities would have an acceptable public school if it weren't for the segregation academy (sorry if people don't like the name but that's why they were created and that's the cause of the problem today) pulling the better parents and students away. Parents are forced to choose between making the better decision for the community (public school) and presumably the better decision for their kid (private). It's a no-brainer.</p>
that I think you are missing. As a graduate of an academy on the list, I am 100% positive I got a better education than the public school in my district and was prepared for college. Albeit small, almost everyone in my class went to college which isn't nearly the case in the public school. As Stormrider mentioned, where I'm from it isn't much of an option.
However another reason parents will chose private over public is sports. At an academy, I had the opportunity to play anything I wanted, which I don't believe would have been the case at the larger public school. Sure it isn't nearly as competitive, but high school is the time get to play team sports and the fun that they bring. Actually, our tennis program had a few transfers over the years from the high school because it just wasn't a priority there compared to football/basketball. Being able to play sports I wasn't very good at but had fun doing is something I've come to appreciate later in life because I have lots of friends from big public high schools who didn't play any sports because they weren't good enough. allright, maybe they played soccer.
However another reason parents will chose private over public is sports. At an academy, I had the opportunity to play anything I wanted, which I don't believe would have been the case at the larger public school. Sure it isn't nearly as competitive, but high school is the time get to play team sports and the fun that they bring. Actually, our tennis program had a few transfers over the years from the high school because it just wasn't a priority there compared to football/basketball. Being able to play sports I wasn't very good at but had fun doing is something I've come to appreciate later in life because I have lots of friends from big public high schools who didn't play any sports because they weren't good enough. allright, maybe they played soccer.
- Status