Lamar School (Meridian, Mississippi)

Lamar School
Address
Lamar School
544 Lindley Road
Meridian, Mississippi
Coordinates 32°24′48″N 88°39′57″W / 32.41333°N 88.66583°W / 32.41333; -88.66583Coordinates: 32°24′48″N 88°39′57″W / 32.41333°N 88.66583°W / 32.41333; -88.66583
Information
Type Private
Motto Truth, Knowledge, Honor
Established 1964
Headmaster Leigh Ann Ballou
Grades K-12
Enrollment 571[1]
Student to teacher ratio 15:1
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Red, White, Navy
Mascot Raider
Information Phone: (601)482-1345
Website Lamar School

Lamar School, is an independent coeducational school located in Meridian, Mississippi, United States. The school was established in 1964 as a segregation academy[2]. It is located on a 40 acres (16 ha) site on Lindley Road.

History

Chartered in 1964, Lamar Elementary opened with grades one through six in 1965. Lamar Middle/High School opened in 1970. The school's name pays tribute to Mississippi statesman L.Q.C. Lamar (1825–1893). It was founded as a whites-only establishment, which led to the denial of its tax exemptions, a decision upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1971.[3]

For the 1965-1966 school year, 49% of the schools tuition revenue came from grants provided by the state of Mississippi. In 1969, a federal court ruled that, since, in the court's opinion, the Lamar School would refuse to admit qualified black students, the tuition grant program violated the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment.[4]

The school's tax exemption was revoked by the Internal Revenue Service after it declined to document that it had a racially nondiscriminatory admissions policy.[5] Lamar School now has tax exempt status once again and has a private 501(c)(3) foundation whereby donations to the foundation are tax deductible.

In 1981, the school enrolled its first black student, the daughter of the Nigerian Finance Minister.[6]

As of 2010, the school stated that it does not discriminate based on race, color, nationality, or ethnic origin.[7] In the 2015-16 school year, the student body (grades 1-12) of 541 had 21 black students (4%).[1]

Accreditation

Lamar School is accredited by the Mississippi Private School Association (MPSA) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

Notable alumnae

References

  1. 1 2 "Private School Universe Survey". National Center for Educations Statistics. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Johnston, Erle (1990). Mississippi's Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretive Documentary with Personal Experiences. Lake Harbor Publishers. p. 309.
  3. ↑ "Court Defines School Tax Status". St. Petersburg Times. December 21, 1971. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission 296 F. Supp. 1389 (S.D. Miss. 1969)
  5. ↑ Tax-exempt status of private schools :hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Ninety-ninth Congress, first session. November 1, 1985.
  6. ↑ Jones, Kevin (April 28, 1985). "A changing of the guard". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1.
  7. ↑ General Information, LamarSchool.com, Retrieved July 6, 2010
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