Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held at Central Elementary

Oxford School District leaders and city officials gathered for an official ribbon-cutting for the new Central Elementary School on Sunday.

The 88,000 square foot home to all of Oxford’s first and second graders, is located at 409 Washington Avenue – situated between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Molly Barr Road.

Prior to the construction of the new school, the district did not have room for all first graders to be housed on one campus.

In September 2017, the district passed a bond referendum with an 83% vote to build a new elementary school. The architectural plans were led by Eley Guild Hardy and construction, led by ICM, LLC., began in 2019. 

Built on the site of the old Central High School, Oxford’s first African-American school, this property has also served the city as Oxford Junior High and then became an elementary school for fifth and sixth grades. When the old building was demolished, choosing the name for the new school was an easy decision for Harvey. 

“Honoring the history of this property is important to the residents of our city and it is important to our district,” Harvey said Sunday.

“We are extremely proud of this new school. Not only is it beautiful, but it has freed up space for more PreK classrooms and helps us maximize resources by having all first graders in one building.”

The event gave parents of Central Elementary students an opportunity to tour the three-story school. This was the first time that parents have been given the opportunity to walk inside the building since COVID-19 restrictions were set in place. Over 300 students and parents took advantage of staggered campus tours while wearing masks.

Courtesy of OSD