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Lamar School
Address
544 Lindley Road Meridian, Mississippi
Coordinates	32°24′48″N 88°39′57″W / 32.41333°N 88.66583°W / 32.41333; -88.66583
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. 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.

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. The Internal Revenue Service revoked the school's tax exemption after it declined to document that it had a racially nondiscriminatory admissions policy.

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

Student body

In the 2015-16 school year, the student body (grades 1-12) of 541 had 21 black students (4%). 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, Minorities are still severely underrepresented, as the community is 66% minority, including 63% black.

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

Notable alumnae

• Sela Ward, film and television actress.
• Cheri Barry, first woman Mayor of Meridian

References

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

External links

• Official website

• Private K–12 schools in Mississippi
• Educational institutions established in 1964
• Buildings and structures in Meridian, Mississippi
• Schools in Lauderdale County, Mississippi
• Preparatory schools in Mississippi
• 1964 establishments in Mississippi
• Segregation academies in Mississippi