The Mississippi State Board of Education voted unanimously on March 20 to recommend that the Mississippi Legislature relocate the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science to the Mississippi State University campus.
If the Mississippi Legislature approves, MSMS will be relocated to a new facility next to MSU’s Partnership Middle School and be ready in the 2026-2027 school year, one academic year earlier than stated in MSU’s proposal for the move. With the 2025 legislative session coming to a close, however, it seems unlikely that lawmakers will decide on the move before next year.
On Feb. 26, MSU and the Mississippi University for Women submitted proposals to the Mississippi Board of Education, outlining each institution’s plan to potentially house and improve the public residential high school for academically gifted 11th and 12th-grade students. MSMS has been housed on MUW’s campus in Columbus since its founding in 1987.
“The SBE is grateful to the Mississippi University for Women for its decades of service supporting MSMS,” State Board of Education chair Glen East said in the DOE’s press release. “Our recommendation reflects our assessment of future growth possibilities and academic opportunities for MSMS students; it is not intended to diminish MUW’s contributions to the success of MSMS.”
After evaluating both proposals, the SBE determined that MSU offers greater advantages for future MSMS growth than MUW. The board cited several reasons for its decision, including MSU’s expansive academic resources and modern research facilities as well as its ability to provide additional opportunities for MSMS students through faculty partnerships and specialized STEM programs.
According to MSU’s proposal, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has pledged $86 million in bonding capacity towards the MSMS move, while MSU has pledged $5 million worth of land. The proposal requires an additional $85 million from the MDE to fund the move.
“The partnership between MSU and SOCSD has already proven successful with the creation of the Partnership School, which has garnered national attention for its collaborative approach to K-12 education,” said SOCSD superintendent Tony McGee in a letter to MDE. “The proposed MSMS-E builds on this success and promises to take Mississippi’s educational landscape to new heights, providing a sustainable model for collaboration between a public university and a local school district.”
If approved, MSMS will be located in a new facility next to Partnership Middle School, adjacent to the planned site for Starkville High School. MSU’s proposal includes plans for shared facilities such as a cafeteria, library, gymnasium, academic courses, laboratories and performing arts centers for both high schools.
MSU’s proposal outlines the plans to integrate MSMS students into MSU’s main campus. The high school students will receive MSU student IDs with a clear MSMS distinction that will give them access to the Mitchell Memorial Library, the Longest Student Health Center and the various counseling services already offered to MSU students. The plan also includes the possibility of having a time exclusively for MSMS students in the Sanderson Center.
The plan also details the expansion of SMART bus routes to the MSU campus, providing students with easier access to the main Starkville community.
The proposal clarifies that the MSMS residence hall will be entirely separate from the main campus and other residence halls, utilizing a residential neighborhood and a treeline as a buffer.
