LAMAR COUNTY — More than half of Lamar County schools are now designated Military Star Schools, meaning they have resources in place to support the educational and social-emotional needs of military-connected students.
The designation comes through the Mississippi Department of Education’s Military Star Schools Program, which began in 2022 to help military children who often face frequent school transitions.
The program uses school liaisons as the main point of contact for military families and local school systems. The liaisons help connect families with resources and support at no cost.
Allen Williams, director of JROTC and program supervisor for law and public safety at the Mississippi Department of Education, said designated schools are expected to show practices that support military-connected students.
Robin Ryder, principal at Bellevue Elementary School, told WDAM the school has 50 students enrolled in its military student program. He said the students gather periodically to build connections with one another.
“They get to play games, or they can just sit around and talk, and I think that does make them feel like they’re in a stable environment,” Ryder said.
Starting with the 2026-27 school year, Sumrall High School will join the list of Lamar County schools that have received the Military Star School designation.
The full list includes Longleaf Elementary School, Purvis High School, Purvis Upper Elementary School, Purvis Lower Elementary School, Bellevue Elementary School, Lumberton Elementary School, Oak Grove High School, Oak Grove Elementary School, Baxterville School, Lamar County Center for Technical Education and Sumrall High School.
Williams said schools can still support military families even if they are not part of the Military Star Schools Program.
“I’m not sure that the ultimate goal would be every school because, frankly, we don’t have service members that may reside in every district in the state,” Williams said. “Mississippi is very defense-friendly. For example, a school could still have a Veterans Day commemoration but not take it upon themselves to be designated as a Military Star School.”
Williams said a full list of schools joining the program for the 2026-27 school year will be released soon.
