The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Booker T Washington Intern. Studies
Booker T. Washington International Studies sits on Sunflower Avenue in Clarksdale, Mississippi, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade as part of the Clarksdale Municipal School District. It is a small elementary school, and every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is almost entirely Black, reflecting the broader community composition of this Mississippi Delta town.
Clarksdale is the county seat of Coahoma County, an agricultural trading and processing center surrounded by cotton, soybean, and rice farmland. The city has a manufacturing base producing rubber goods, mobile homes, cabinets, and farm equipment, and over the past few decades blues music tourism has become a growing economic driver. Casinos arrived in the mid-1990s, and the downtown along Delta Avenue now hosts live music venues, the Delta Blues Museum in the restored Illinois Central Railroad freight depot, and the Walk of Fame honoring blues legends. Clarksdale has experienced long-term population decline, but a modest tourism-fueled revival is underway. Publicly reported coverage notes CNN named the city one of America's best towns to visit, citing transplants opening new businesses and music available seven nights a week. The broader city is low-density and car-dependent, with US Highways running through it. Coahoma Community College, a historically Black institution, sits on a separate campus north of town. The school district's buildings are distributed within the community rather than on a single campus.
On state assessments, the most recent math results show a small share of third and fourth graders reaching proficiency. English language arts results follow a similar pattern in third grade, with a somewhat larger share of fourth graders demonstrating proficiency. These are modest proficiency levels, and a parent considering this school may want to look into what instructional supports and interventions the school has in place for reading and mathematics. Participation rates were not available in the data provided. Science results from an older assessment cycle were suppressed, and because the school currently serves only through fourth grade, fifth-grade science testing does not apply to this school's grade range. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether performance is improving or declining over time.
The school does not have charter status, and magnet status was not indicated. Information on staffing, attendance, discipline, course access, and Title I designation was not available in the data provided. We looked for details on programs, extracurriculars, and specialized offerings but found none, so they are left out rather than guessed. Individualized education plan and English learner counts were also missing. A parent wanting a fuller picture of the school's environment and support structures would need to ask the school directly.
The housing market around the school is among the most affordable in the state and far below national levels. The typical home value in the school's zip code is a small fraction of the state benchmark and a sliver of the national figure. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are low. Year-over-year home values have declined modestly. Rental data was not available. For families, this means homeownership is financially accessible in a way that is rare nationally, though the declining value trend is worth noting. No major new housing developments were identified in publicly reported material on Clarksdale.
What this school offers is an early-grades education in a historically rich Delta community undergoing a slow, tourism-centered renewal. The academic results currently available are modest, and the data gaps are wide enough that a parent would benefit from visiting the school, talking with leadership, and asking about reading and math instruction, student supports, and what the school day looks like for young children.
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