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 grades) and Water Valley High School (grades 7 through 12) in Water Valley. The district is committed to maintaining a high performance level while adopting the Mississippi Department of Education’s challenging new standards that have significantly increased the difficulty of the curriculum. As well as striving to provide a well-rounded academic education they also offer a variety of extracurricular opportunities. For additional information see website: http://www.wvsd.k12.ms.us
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. An established prekindergarten 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. For additional information see website: http://www.coffeevilleschools.org
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. They are:
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 was developed in 2008. Their goal is to provide unique opportunities for students in manufacturing. For more information see website: http://www.olemiss.edu
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 manufactures; workforce development education, and training; and business systems and information technologies. For more information see website: http://www.msstate.edu
Outstanding nationally recognized private colleges include Millsaps College and Mississippi College in the Jackson area.
Community and Technical Colleges
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, 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. For more information see website: http://www.holmescc.edu
Northwest Community College
Headquartered in Senatobia, Mississippi, Northwest Community College is 38 miles north of 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 training, training manuals and multimedia training aids, total quality management and leadership training. The college operates WIN Job Center in Oxford, Senatobia and Southaven. For more information see website: http://nw.edu