Enrollment
269
Middle
DISTRICT 233 · STATE 452
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CLARKSDALE MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280105000119
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies
1749 CHESTNUT STREET, CLARKSDALE, MS 38614 · (662) 627-8550 · Coahoma County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL269 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 2% of Mississippi public middle schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Mississippi public middle schools
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
11 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.9:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
261 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 80%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 99 | 37% |
| Grade 8 | 170 | 63% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies→J.W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy→Clarksdale High School
Based on grade levels within Clarksdale Municipal School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
12.1%
MS avg 45.9% . -4.0pp since 2023
Math
13.7%
MS avg 52.8% . -1.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 12 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 14 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Mississippi schools, those numbers are about 46 and 53. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 1 points.
MAAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 12.1% | 13.7% |
| 2023-24 | 16.1% | 14.7% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MS schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
18.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.6%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-26.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 19% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 46% typical for Mississippi schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies's state test result (18.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies this school | 269 | 97.0% | 18.9% |
| Coleman Middle School Greenville | 287 | 100.0% | 19.7% |
| Jeff Davis County Middle School Prentiss | 262 | 98.9% | 41.3% |
| O.M. McNair Middle School Belzoni | 305 | 100.0% | 21.9% |
| Oakhurst Intermediate School CLARKSDALE | 197 | 96.4% | 33.4% |
| T.L. Weston Middle School Greenville | 412 | 100.0% | 25.6% |
Matched among Mississippi middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 18.9% | #172 of 176 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 13.7% | #173 of 181 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 12.1% | #179 of 181 ▼ 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 269 | #137 of 186 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.6:1 | #161 of 163 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.5% | #68 of 164 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.0% | #83 of 184 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -29.8% | #22 of 119 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
269
-114 (-30%) vs 2020
-51% since 1990-91, when it was 546
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
was 8.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 269 | 11.4 | 23.6:1 | 97% (261) |
| 2023-24 | 281 | 20.3 | 13.8:1 | 100% (281) |
| 2022-23 | 283 | 20.9 | 13.6:1 | 100% (283) |
| 2020-21 | 383 | 43 | 8.9:1 | 100% (383) |
| 2017-18 | 383 | 44 | 8.7:1 | 100% (383) |
| 2015-16 | 427 | 38 | 11.2:1 | 100% (427) |
| 2010-11 | 337 | 30 | 11.2:1 | 99% (334) |
| 2000-01 | 464 | 30 | 15.5:1 | 81% (376) |
| 1990-91 | 546 | 29 | 18.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies.
About W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is a middle-grades school located in CLARKSDALE, Mississippi, in Coahoma County. Enrollment is 269 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 7 through 8. The average for middle schools in Mississippi is about 452 students, so this school is 40% smaller than average.
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is a school in Clarksdale Municipal School District. The district has 7 schools and 1,857 students.
A majority of students at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies, 56%, are Black. The remaining shares are 42% multiracial. Coahoma County as a whole is about 74% Black, so the school's share is lower. By the diversity index, W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies comes in at 52%.
Its teaching staff equals 11.4 full-time positions, a ratio of 23.6:1. That ratio is over the 13.7:1 average for middle schools in Mississippi. Around 97% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Across public schools in Coahoma County, the average is about the same, 98%.
Measured against Mississippi public middle schools, W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies receives an F. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is 26.7 points below expectations on state tests, given its student poverty level, placing it in the bottom 10% in Mississippi.
Coahoma County census figures show that median household income is about $37,461, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 31% of residents live below the federal poverty line. W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is among the 15 public schools in Coahoma County.
The shortest distance from W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies to another public school is less than a tenth of a mile, to George H. Oliver Visual/Performing Arts Magnet School. The five-mile area around W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies holds at least 8 other public schools. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies ranks 8th on proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies as Town: Remote.
Federal counts put enrollment at 383 in 2020-21 and 269 in 2024-25, a 30% decrease. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 8.9:1 to 23.6:1.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Coahoma County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
20,540
Census ACS
Median income
$37,461
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
31%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
3,518 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Clarksdale Municipal School District
- Clarksdale High SchoolHigh · 473 students
- George H. Oliver Visual/Performing Arts Magnet SchoolElementary · 299 students
- Kirkpatrick Health And Wellness Magnet SchoolElementary · 266 students
- Booker T. Washington International Studies Magnet SchoolElementary · 247 students
- Oakhurst Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 197 students
- J.W. Stampley 9th Grade AcademyHigh · 106 students
Other schools in CLARKSDALE
- Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter SchoolElementary · 652 students
- Clarksdale High SchoolHigh · 473 students
- Coahoma County High SchoolHigh · 345 students
- George H. Oliver Visual/Performing Arts Magnet SchoolElementary · 299 students
- Kirkpatrick Health And Wellness Magnet SchoolElementary · 266 students
- Booker T. Washington International Studies Magnet SchoolElementary · 247 students
Nearby schools
- George H. Oliver Visual/Performing Arts Magnet School0.1 mi · 299
- Booker T. Washington International Studies Magnet School1.0 mi · 247
- Oakhurst Intermediate School1.4 mi · 197
- J.W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy1.5 mi · 106
- Clarksdale High School1.8 mi · 473
- Kirkpatrick Health And Wellness Magnet School2.6 mi · 266
Frequently asked questions
About W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International StudiesWhat is the total enrollment at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies?
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies enrolls approximately 269 students in grades 07-08.
Is W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies an elementary, middle, or high school?
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is a middle school covering grades 07-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies?
The student-to-teacher ratio at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is approximately 23.6:1 (11 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies?
At W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies, the student body is approximately 1% White, 1% Hispanic, 56% Black, 42% Two or more.
What district is W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies in?
W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is part of Clarksdale Municipal School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.