Rankin County School District


The Rankin County School District is the 2nd largest public school district in Mississippi. The district office is located in Brandon, Mississippi.
The district covers all areas of Rankin County except for those in the Pearl city limits. The district's boundary includes, in addition to Brandon, the communities of Florence, Flowood, Pelahatchie, Puckett, Richland, [Sand Hill, Rankin County, Mississippi|Rankin County, Mississippi|Sandhill], and Star.

History

The Rankin County School District is one of the top three sizeable public school districts in Mississippi. There are 28 schools, over 18,000 students in the district, and the district serves over seven different cities. RCSD is known for their recreational and outdoor activities. In 2013, RCSD was the defendant in a federal lawsuit regarding religion in public schools after Northwest Rankin High School subjected students to mandatory Christian assemblies. The case settled, but in 2014 the RCSD violated the settlement by inviting a Methodist preacher to lead a prayer during a District wide awards ceremony. Judge Carlton Reeves of Mississippi's Southern District ruled in favor of the Plaintiff in 2015. In 2014 board president Cecil McCrory, a former member of the Mississippi Legislature, resigned from his position prior to a federal indictment for corruption activities, involving private prison contracts with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. McCrory and Epps pleaded guilty to federal charges in February of the following year.

Schools

Demographics

In 2017, 22% of the students were black. That year, under Mississippi school accountability rankings, the district received an "A".

2006-07 school year

There were a total of 17,398 students enrolled in the Rankin County School District during the 2006–2007 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 49% female and 51% male. The racial makeup of the district was 21.54% African American, 75.91% White, 1.32% Hispanic, 1.14% Asian, and 0.09% Native American. 27.7% of the district's students were eligible to receive free lunch.