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Lamar School
Lamar School
Address
	544 Lindley Road; Meridian, Mississippi
Coordinates	32°24′48″N 88°39′57″W / 32.41333°N 88.66583°W
Information
Type	Private
Motto	Truth, Knowledge, Honor
Established	1964
Headmaster	Leigh Ann Ballou
Grades	K-12
Enrollment	653
Student to teacher ratio	15:1
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Red, White, Navy
Mascot	Raider
Website	Lamar School

Lamar School, is an independent coeducational school located in Meridian, Mississippi, United States founded in 1964 as a segregation academy. It consists of elementary, middle, and high school and serves grades Pre-K through 12th.

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 memorializes Confederate politician, enslaver, and white supremacist Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. The school was established in 1964 as a segregation academy.^[1] 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.^[2]

For the 1965-1966 school year, 49% of the school's tuition revenue came from grants provided by 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.^[3] The Internal Revenue Service revoked the school's tax exemption after it declined to document that it had a racially nondiscriminatory admissions policy.^[4]

In 1981, the school enrolled its first black student, the daughter of the Nigerian Finance Minister.^[5]

Student body

In the 2015-16 school year, the student body (grades 1-12) of 541 had 21 black students (4%).^[6] Data available for the 2017-2018 school year reflects growing diversity. From a student body of 587 students (grades 1-12), 71 students (12%) identified as a member of a minority group,^[7] Minorities are still severely underrepresented, as the community is 66% minority, including 63% black.^[8]

For the 2019-2020 school year, Lamar students elected a black pupil as Student Council President.^[9] However, the campus administration, board, and faculty remain almost exclusively white.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Notable alumnae

Sela Ward,^[13] film and television actress.
Cheri Barry,^[14] first woman Mayor of Meridian

References

^ Johnston, Erle (1990). Mississippi's Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretive Documentary with Personal Experiences. Lake Harbor Publishers. p. 309. ISBN 9789991746159.
^ "Court Defines School Tax Status". St. Petersburg Times. Times Wire Service. December 21, 1971. pp. 10–A. Retrieved July 6, 2010.^{[dead link‍]}
^ Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission 296 F. Supp. 1389 (S.D. Miss. 1969)
^ 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. hdl:2027/uc1.31210024924332.
^ Jones, Kevin (April 28, 1985). "A changing of the guard". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1.
^ "Private School Universe Survey". National Center for Educations Statistics. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
^ "Private School Universe Survey". National Center for Educations Statistics. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
^ "ACS School District Profile 2015-19".
^ "Lamar High School". G:Class of 2020. Meridian, Mississippi: The Meridian Star. 2 June 2020. pp. G35–G39. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ "Head of School". Meridian, Mississippi: Lamar School. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ "Lamar School Foundation Board". Meridian, Mississippi: Lamar School. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ "Faculty". Meridian, Mississippi: Lamar School. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ Rader, Dotson (24 January 2011). "Sela Ward: 'My Journey Has Been a Journey Home'". Parade. Retrieved 6 May 2024. Her teenage years were spent at a private school, Lamar, and she joined a junior sorority.
^ "Cheryl Merritt Barry ("Cheri") Obituary". Meridian Star. Meridian, Mississippi. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024. After graduating from Lamar High School, Cheri started her college career at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, which at the time was a women's college.