Tribe breaks ground on new school campus
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians held a groundbreaking for the new Choctaw Central Middle/High School campus on Monday. The new campus will be located on a 35-acre site of Tribal land near South Oswald Road and Highway 16 West.
Tribal and school officials, as well as project partners and community members, were in attendance to celebrate this new beginning.
“The need for a new campus for our middle and high schools has been discussed for two decades,” said Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben. “In that time the Justice Complex was built in 2007, and a new Choctaw Health Center in 2015, both built to accommodate our growing population. Now, it is great to finally meet the educational needs of our Choctaw Tribal Schools, Choctaw Central High and Middle School students. Today, we celebrate the build of this state-of the-art campus for our students to learn and grow in the safest and best possible environment.”
“It is my honor and privilege to have the opportunity to work with Chief Ben and his administration, Choctaw Tribal Council, and our very own hardworking and dedicated Choctaw Tribal Schools personnel to ensure the needs of our students are met,” said MBCI Director of Schools Delnita Jones. “I am excited to stand side by side with Tribal and CTS leadership and break ground for the new high school and middle school campus.”
The new campus can accommodate up to 1,200 students and will include a two-story building that will house the middle and high school. Security features include door card readers, cameras, a security guard station, and a fence. The campus will have a middle school staff office, high school staff office, principals’ offices, counselors’ offices, a band hall, cafeteria, dormitory, library, ADA bathrooms, elevators, and a two-level arena, among others.
In addition, there will be a 36,631 square-foot arena built.
The campus will have Choctaw-themed symbols and artwork incorporated into its overall design.
PryorMorrow is the architect for the project, and the construction manager is Yates Construction. Willis Engineering serves as the site engineer, and McGee Construction is in charge of the groundwork.
The project is expected to be completed in the 2026-2027 school year. This project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).