Building on the success and national acclaim of the groundbreaking Partnership Middle School, Mississippi State University has now signed a memorandum of understanding with Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District to bring Starkville High School into the fold.

Opened in 2020 as a collaboration between MSU and the public school district, Partnership Middle School serves every middle-school student in the district through the state-of-the-art facility, while delivering lessons with cutting-edge, scientifically backed teaching practices.

The MOU outlines the district and university’s plan to expand that work to the high school and replace its existing outdated, outsized facility with a new, modern building on MSU’s campus.

University President Mark E. Keenum said this expansion of the MSU-SOCSD partnership will ensure the continued development of outstanding educational experiences for students in Oktibbeha County.

Several people converse beneath a large wall sign that reads "HOME OF THE YELLOW JACKETS" in a spacious, well-lit indoor setting.
A group of people seated in rows faces a stage with speakers in a modern indoor venue decorated with banners.
Three men in suits stand in front of a backdrop that reads “Partnership Middle School” at an indoor event.

Mississippi State and Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District representatives celebrate a new partnership for a cutting-edge high school to be built on the MSU campus. From left are MSU President Mark E. Keenum, SOCSD Superintendent Tony McGee and MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw. (Photos by Emily Grace McCall)

“By working together, we are creating new and exciting opportunities for students along every step of their educational journey,” Keenum said. “The new Starkville High School will be a true asset and resource for our community and a model for innovative teaching, learning, discovery, and career and technical education for school districts around the state and across the country.”

The announcement of the project coincides with excitement about Starkville High School earning its first A rating from the State Board of Education.

“It’s a new era of excellence for Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District and our expanded partnership with MSU,” said Tony McGee, SOCSD superintendent. “We already know the outstanding variety of opportunities we’re providing high school students as a high-performing school. Through dual enrollment, an emphasis on STEAM and the wide variety of resources available on the MSU campus, this new high school will give our boys and girls a greater vision of what’s possible for the future.”

The project will include mutual benefits and positive impacts not only for the school district and university but also the city of Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Golden Triangle region and the state of Mississippi. It will address current space and functionality limitations at Starkville High School through construction of a facility of the same caliber that Partnership Middle School students now enjoy. The high school would also serve MSU by providing “increased learning opportunities for its students and teachers across the state of Mississippi,” while also serving to “augment workforce development initiatives in the region and assist the state of Mississippi in addressing the state’s labor participation challenges.”