Education

School attendance is compulsory from age 6 to 16. The state department of education is administered by the superintendent of public education, who is appointed by the state board of education. The board consists of nine appointed members.

The first school established in Mississippi was a private school for girls founded at Natchez in 1801. Jefferson College, at Washington, was chartered in 1802. The first free school was Franklin Academy, established at Columbus in 1821. The first public school laws, passed in 1846, provided for a county school system.

In 1870 a new public school system was created; the law required at least a fourmonth school year and the setting up of school districts. In 1953 county boards of education were given more authority and the Educational Finance Commission was set up to reorganize school districts by consolidation and to improve allocation of school funds.

The University of Mississippi's main campus is at University, near Oxford. It was opened in 1848, closed during the Civil War, and reopened in 1865. The Lyceum is the only original building still standing. The university has a liberal arts college and several professional schools. The Medical Center is at Jackson.