students registered in 1965, it was closed that year. That year the school district put it up for sale. East District Elementary School – Grades 3-4 Hopson Bayou Elementary School (Tutwiler) - Served Kindergarten through grade 6. It closed as a zoned school in 1993 and became an alternative school for troubled youth. In 1997 the district closed the Hopson Bayou campus and moved the alternative school to the former Sumner Elementary. Philipp Consolidated School (Philipp) – By 1957 the property was for sale Sumner Elementary School (Sumner) – Served Kindergarten through grade 2 for Sumner and Webb. By spring 1997 it became a kindergarten through grade 1 school. In 1997 it had 203 students. It closed in 1997 with all students transferred to Bearden School, and the district moved the alternative school to the former Sumner Elementary. Demographics As of November 1997, 99% of the students were black and 1% was white. As of that time, 92% qualified for buying lunches at reduced or no expense. In 1999 there were 1,500 students. 2007-08 school year There were a total of 947 students enrolled in the West Tallahatchie School District during the 2007–2008 school year. The gender makeup of the district was 53% female and 47% male. The racial makeup of the district was 99.89% African American and 0.11% Hispanic. Previous school years Student achievement In 1997 the graduation rate was 86%. The class of 1999 was the only class of the 1990s decade to graduate 100% of the seniors that enrolled. Accountability statistics Other facilities The Charles M. George Facility for Educational Services, the headquarters of WTSD, was dedicated on July 23, 1995. Charles M. George, the headquarters' namesake, was a principal and a superintendent of the district. As per the Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act of 1998, a duplex was built for $200,000 next to West Tallahatchie High School. Priority was for district teachers but people not employed by the district are welcome to rent. In 2015 Monique Harrison-Henderson of The Hechinger Report stated "In the end, instead of being an exciting recruitment tool, the duplex has been filled in recent years by people with no direct ties to the school system." See also List of school districts in Mississippi LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton References Further reading External links West Tallahatchie School District West Tallahatchie School District (Archive) R.H. Bearden Elementary School Education in Tallahatchie County,