View source for Choctaw Tribal School System

{{Short description|School system in Mississippi, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
The '''Choctaw Tribal School System''' is a school system based in the community of [[Choctaw, Neshoba County, Mississippi|Choctaw]], [[Mississippi]] (US). An entity operated by the federally recognized [[Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians]],<ref name="CTS">{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2007 |title=Choctaw Tribal Schools |url=http://www.cts.bia.edu/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910011201/http://www.cts.bia.edu/ |archive-date=September 10, 2007 |accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref> the district consists of eight schools in three counties: [[Neshoba County, Mississippi|Neshoba]], [[Leake County, Mississippi|Leake]], and [[Newton County, Mississippi|Newton]]. It has a total enrollment of 1,700 to 1,800 students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education |url=http://www.choctaw.org/government/Education.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804205351/http://www.choctaw.org/government/education.htm |archive-date=August 4, 2007 |publisher=Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians |accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref> It is the largest unified and locally controlled Indian school system in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Choctaw Tribal Schools |url=http://www.choctaw.org/government/tribal_schools.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610003333/http://www.choctaw.org/government/tribal_schools.htm |archive-date=June 10, 2007 |publisher=Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians |accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref> It is affiliated with the [[Bureau of Indian Education]] (BIE).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bie.edu/schools/directory/choctaw-central-high-school|title=Choctaw Central High School|publisher=[[Bureau of Indian Education]]|accessdate=2022-01-08}}</ref> The current Director of Schools is Mrs. Delnita Jones.<ref name="CTS" />

All eight schools are [[Elementary and Secondary Education Act|Title I]] schools with a majority of students being bilingual, speaking both [[Choctaw language|Choctaw]] and English.<ref name="CivicEd">{{Cite web |title=Choctaw Tribal School District, Choctaw, Mississippi |url=http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=SVPDP_101 |publisher=Center for Civic Education |accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref>

The [[National Center for Education Statistics]] classifies the school system and its schools as public.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Choctaw Central Middle School |url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&DistrictID=5900078&ID2=5900078 |publisher=[[National Center for Education Statistics]] |accessdate=July 19, 2021}}</ref>

==Accreditation==
The Choctaw Tribal School System and its schools are accredited by the [[Mississippi Department of Education]], as well as by the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]].<ref name="CivicEd" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=SACS CASI Accredited Schools: Mississippi |url=http://www.sacscasi.org/schools/Proceedings_Accredited_SACS_CASI_MS.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808025853/http://www.sacscasi.org/schools/Proceedings_Accredited_SACS_CASI_MS.html |archive-date=August 8, 2007 |publisher=Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |accessdate=September 13, 2007}}</ref>

==Eligibility==
Students must belong to a recognized Native American tribe and be, at minimum, one-fourth Native American to attend the schools.<ref name="CivicEd" />

==Dormitory==
The system operates a dormitory for its secondary students who do not live in the Pearl River area.<ref>{{Cite web |title={{title case|Choctaw Central High School Choctaw Central Middle School PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK School Year 2020-21}} |url=https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/80d8524f1eab4fc184745c2605f6e866.pdf |publisher=Choctaw Tribal Schools |page=13/66 |quote=Students who live outside the Pearl River community will be encouraged to consider enrollment in the dormitory. |accessdate=July 19, 2021}}</ref> It is called the Choctaw Central Dormitory,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Choctaw Central Dormitory |url=https://www.choctawtribalschools.com/ccdorm |publisher=Choctaw Central Schools |accessdate=July 19, 2021}}</ref> and takes students in grades 7-12.<ref>{{Cite web |title={{title case|STUDENT HANDBOOK 2020-2021 STUDENT HANDBOOK 2020-2021}} |url=https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/6e652293d0324a4abaeaa3defeef0c82.pdf |publisher=Choctaw Tribal Schools |page=16 (PDF p. 15/60) |quote=Incoming 7th/8th[...]orientation to the Dormitory{{sic}}. |accessdate=July 19, 2021}}</ref>

==Schools==
*[[Bogue Chitto, Mississippi|Bogue Chitto]] Elementary School (Grades PK-8)
*[[Choctaw Central High School]] (Grades 9-12)
*Choctaw Central Middle School (Grades 7-8)
*[[Conehatta, Mississippi|Conehatta]] Elementary School (Grades PK-8)
*[[Pearl River, Mississippi|Pearl River]] Elementary School (Grades PK-6)
*[[Redwater, Mississippi|Red Water]] Elementary School (Grades PK-8)
*[[Standing Pine, Mississippi|Standing Pine]] Elementary School (Grades PK-6)
*[[Tucker, Mississippi|Tucker]] Elementary School (Grades PK-8)

==Notable visitors==
[[File:GV Sonny Montgomery.jpg|left|345px|thumb|U.S. Representative Montgomery's 1969 visit to Choctaw Central High.]]

*In 1969 and later in 1971, Congressman [[G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery]], who served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1967–1997, visited Choctaw Central High School.

During his senior year in high school, [[Marcus Dupree]] rushed for 1,955 yards with 26 touchdowns. On November 13, 1981, Dupree's final high school game was at Choctaw Bowl at Choctaw Central High School's Warriors Stadium. He broke a record on yards rushed. [[Willie Morris]], author, described the audience as "the most distinctive crowds I had ever seen ... four thousand or so people seemed almost an equal of a mix of whites, blacks, and Indians ... After Marcus scored his touchdown, [Sid Salter] saw [[Cecil Price]] Sr. who was ... 'jumping up and down and cheering as hard as anyone ... ain't that a kick in the pants?'" In a separate visit in 1983, Dupree came to the school for one-on-one sessions with students.

{{Blockquote|The stadium on the reservation was the finest I had seen all year, with excellent lights, and a large concrete grandstand on one side, and bleachers on the other. A gymnasium-field house was adjacent to the grandstand with-what else?- WARRIORS in sizable letters on the facade. Although the game was more than an hour away, it was obvious there would be a big crowd.|sign=Willie Morris<ref name="Morris">{{Cite book |last=Morris |first=Willie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W6nE9QK51vkC&q=marcus+dupree+1981+choctaw&pg=PA291 |title=The courting of Marcus Dupree |year=1999 |isbn=9780878055852 |accessdate=2010-11-04 |authorlink=Willie Morris}}</ref>
}}

In 1985, [[Eunice Kennedy Shriver]], a member of the [[Kennedy family]] and founder of the Special Olympics, spoke and praised the school's involvement with the "Let's Play to Grow" program.

In the mid-1990s, [[Billy Mills]], the second Native American to win an Olympic gold medal, spoke to the school body.

In 2000, [[John Herrington]], the first Native American [[NASA]] astronaut, visited the campus. He flew his first space mission two years later as a mission specialist aboard STS-113.

In 2008, [[Rodney A. Grant]], a Native American actor famous for his role in the movie ''[[Dances with Wolves]],'' visited the campus.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Mississippi|Schools}}
*[http://www.choctawtribalschools.com/ Choctaw Tribal Schools] – Official site.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050126033313/http://www.choctaw.org/ Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians] – Official site.

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{{Choctaw}}
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{{Public boarding schools in the United States}}
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[[Category:Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians]]
[[Category:Public schools in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Education in Neshoba County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Education in Newton County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Education in Leake County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Public boarding schools in the United States]]
[[Category:Boarding schools in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Native American boarding schools]]
[[Category:Native American schools]]