Mississippi State University is the No. 1 college choice for 2021 graduates of eight high schools in northeast Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland.
Overall, 243 students have selected MSU for their higher education compared to 233 who chose the University of Mississippi.
Popular choices also include Holmes Community College, which is the selection of 160 students; University of Southern Mississippi, 54; and Hinds Community College, 56.
Locally, 30 students plan to attend Mississippi College; seven, Jackson State University; six each, Belhaven University and Millsaps College; and three, Tougaloo College.
Three area students have earned entrance into military academies. Two will attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and one, the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
The northeast Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland area will be represented at the highly ranked University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, Georgetown University, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University.
Forty-three graduates of Jackson Academy plan to attend Ole Miss, while 25 graduates plan to attend MSU. Five grads each plan on going to Mississippi College, Holmes Community College and Hinds Community; four each, the University of Alabama; three each, the University of Southern Mississippi; and two each, Jones College.
Jackson Academy will send one graduate to each of these institutions: Belhaven University, Pearl River Community College, Northwest Community College, Tougaloo, Louisiana State University, the University of the South, Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the University of Virginia, Northeastern University, Belmont University, the University of North Alabama, Tulane University, Penn State University, Loyola University New Orleans, Rhodes College, Auburn University, Spurgeon College and the University of Reading in Reading, England. One graduate is undecided about a college choice.
At Jackson Prep, 48 students in the Class of 2021 will head to Ole Miss and 43 to Mississippi State. Ten graduates are going to the University of Alabama; four, Mississippi College; three, Holmes Community College; two, Auburn University, Belmont University, Hinds Community College and Millsaps College.
Jackson Prep will be represented by one student at each of these institutions, University of California-Berkeley, Chipola College, Covenant College, East Mississippi Community College, Jones College, Louisiana Tech University, University of Maryland-College Park, Penn State, Ringling College of Art and Design, Rollins College, Samford University, the University of the South, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Southern Mississippi, Texas Christian University, University of Utah, University of Virginia (Charlottesville campus) and Wake Forest University. One graduate’s post-high school plan is to join the National Guard.
At Germantown High School, 83 students have selected Holmes Community College; 50, Mississippi State; and 36, Ole Miss. Eighteen students are going to Hinds Community College; 14, University of Southern Mississippi; six, Mississippi College; and four each, Jones College. Three students each have chosen Alcorn University, Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Delta State University and Mississippi University for Women.
Two Germantown students each plan to attend Belhaven University, Jackson State University, Loyola of Louisiana, Xavier of Louisiana, LSU, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Holmes Community College and Pearl River Community College.
Germantown will be represented by one student at each of these schools: Tougaloo College, Northwest Community College, Itawamba Community College, Delta Technical, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Florida State University, Belmont University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Hawaii, Carnegie Mellon, Southern A&M, University of San Diego, Vanderbilt University, East Tennessee State University, the University of Alabama, Spelman, Fort Valley State, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Lincoln University.
At Madison-Ridgeland Academy, 27 students will be freshmen at Mississippi State University and 20 at Ole Miss. Five students each are headed to Holmes Community College and two students each to Mississippi College, Hinds Community College, Northwest Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Louisiana State University, Samford University and Auburn University.
The MRA Class of 2021 will have one student each at the University of Southern Mississippi, Millsaps College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Jones College, the University of Montevallo, the University of South Alabama, the University of Alabama, the University of Mobile, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Rhodes College, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Point Loma Nazarene University, the University of Hawaii and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
At Madison Central High School, 69 students will enter Mississippi State University; 54, the University of Mississippi; and 33, Holmes Community College.
Nineteen students from Madison Central have chosen the University of Southern Mississippi and 14, Hinds Community College. Nine students each plan to attend the University of Alabama and Mississippi College while three students each plan to continue their studies at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Jackson State University. Two students each will be at Delta State University, East Central Community College, Rice University and Pepperdine University.
Madison Central High School will send one student each to Belhaven University, Florida State University, Berklee College of Music, Alcorn University, Southwest Community College, Santa Fe University, University of Florida, Northwest Community College, Indiana University, Carnegie Mellon University, Southern University A&M, Texas A&M, Berry College, Middle Tennessee State, cosmetology school in Clinton, East Arkansas Community College, Houston Community College, the University of Pennsylvania, Itawamba Community College, Spelman College, Duke University, Full Sail University, Oral Roberts University and High Point University. One student intends to enter the Air Force.
At Ridgeland High School, 20 students will be freshmen at Holmes Community College and 15 to Hinds Community College. Seven students are going to Mississippi State and six each to Ole Miss and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is the educational choice for four Ridgeland High School students; Delta Technical, three; and two each, Southwest Community College and Copiah-Lincoln Community College. One student each will continue studies at Mississippi College, Jackson State University, Cincinnati State University, Pearl River Community College, Itawamba Community College, Southern University, Morehouse University, Xavier University in Louisiana, LSU, Pasco-Hernando State College and Belhaven University.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School will have 18 students on the Ole Miss campus and eight students on the Mississippi State campus.
Five St. Andrew’s students each will enter the University of Alabama and three students each will go to Millsaps College, University of Southern Mississippi and Vanderbilt University.
Two students each will attend Clemon University, College of Charleston, Elon University, Lehigh University, Rhodes College, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Tulane University of Louisiana and University of Pennsylvania. One student will enter the U.S. Military Academy.
One St. Andrew’s graduate each will head to Baylor University, Berklee College of Music, Boston College, Colby College, Davidson College, Georgia Institute of Technology (main campus), Gonzaga University, Hendrix College, Holmes Community College, Howard University, Louisiana State University, Mississippi College, Oxford College of Emory University, Pepperdine University, Purdue University (main campus), Saint Louis University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Sewanee: The University of the South, Spelman College, the University of Arkansas, the University of Georgia, the University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin (Madison) and Xavier University of Louisiana.
At St. Joseph Catholic High School, eight students will take the next step at Ole Miss and 14 at Mississippi State. Ten students have selected Holmes Community College, seven students have selected the University of Southern Mississippi; three students, Xavier University of Louisiana; and two students each, Mississippi College and Loyola University of New Orleans.
One student each from St. Joe will attend Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Tuskegee University, Belhaven University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Coahoma Community College, Alabama A&M University, Morehouse University, Tougaloo College, Jackson State University, University of Alabama, Delta State University, Spelman College and Tennessee State University.
The Education Center School, New Summit School and Murrah High School did not respond to inquiries seeking information about post-high school plans of their graduates.
