Tupelo's public pre-K, the Early Childhood Education Center, 1402 N. Green St.: 327 students in 2023-24 and a B from the state for 2025-26.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Early Childhood Education Center website, its leadership page, frequently asked questions and fast facts; the Tupelo Public School District’s schools page, 2026-27 calendar (PDF) and 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times (PDF); the Mississippi Department of Education’s 2026 accountability results and report card; and the federal NCES school directory.

The Early Childhood Education Center is the Tupelo Public School District’s pre-kindergarten school. Its website calls it the Martin Luther King Jr. Early Childhood Education Center, and says each classroom of 20 children has a licensed teacher and an assistant.

Who to call

How admission works

From the center’s frequently asked questions:

  • Who is eligible: any child who is 4 years old by Sept. 1 and lives in the district’s attendance zones. Children must be toilet trained.
  • How to apply: the center starts placing children on its informational list in January; call 662-840-5237. Families on the list get monthly emails about when to bring a birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residency.
  • Screening and acceptance: screening is in late May, and families are told about acceptance in June.
  • Waiting list: the center keeps one all year and fills open seats from it.
  • Buses: the district runs buses for pre-K children, with car seats, seat belts and at least two monitors on each bus, according to the leadership page. Children can also be car or day care riders.

Principal

Principal Katie Coon, according to the school’s website, which lists Emerald Coleman as counselor. The school’s fast facts count 23 certified employees and four National Board Certified Teachers. The curriculum is Mississippi Beginnings, the FAQ says.

Enrollment and teachers

The most recent federal count, from the NCES directory for the 2023-24 school year, is 327 students and 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 15.6 students per teacher. The state’s 2025-26 report card counts 22 teacher FTEs.

State report card

The center earned a B for 2025-26, with 418 of 700 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results file, released Oct. 15, 2026. A school needed 402 points for a B and 457 for an A this year, according to the state’s guide to the system (PDF). Its 2024-25 report card also shows a B.

The state lists these figures for the center on its report card: reading proficiency 45.9%, math proficiency 42.5%, reading growth 68.7% and math growth 62.1%, with 39.2% of children chronically absent. Mississippi’s state tests are given in grades 3 through 8 and in high school, according to the department’s public reporting page, so these test figures are not from tests taken at a pre-K school; the report card page does not explain how they are assigned. The district’s Assessment and Testing office is at 662-840-5909. The state also says 2025-26 grades set a new baseline that “cannot be compared” to earlier years.

Attendance zone

There is one public pre-K school for the whole district, so any eligible child living in the Tupelo Public School District’s attendance zones can apply. After pre-K, children go to the kindergarten school for their home zone on the district’s K-5 attendance zone map (PDF): Carver, Joyner, Parkway or Thomas Street. To confirm an address, call Student Support Services at 662-841-8955. We found no zone change approved by the school board.

Calendar and hours

On the district’s 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times, the center starts at 7:40 a.m. and dismisses at 2:25 p.m. Its FAQ says children may enter at 7:15 a.m. The latest check-in is 9:45 a.m. and the earliest check-out 12:20 p.m. Early dismissal is at 11:55 a.m.; on a one-hour delay school starts at 8:40 a.m., and on a two-hour delay at 9:40 a.m. The center follows the district calendar.

From the district’s 2026-27 calendar:

  • Monday, Oct. 19: classes resume after fall break
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving holidays
  • Friday, Dec. 18: end of the second quarter, early dismissal
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: Christmas holidays; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • March 8-12, 2027: spring break

More

Frequently asked questions

Who can attend pre-K at Tupelo’s Early Childhood Education Center?

Any child who is 4 years old by Sept. 1 and lives in the Tupelo Public School District’s attendance zones, according to the center’s website. Children must be toilet trained.

How do I sign up for Tupelo public pre-K?

Call the center at 662-840-5237 to be placed on its informational list, which opens in January. Screening is in late May and families learn about acceptance in June.

What time does the Early Childhood Education Center start?

7:40 a.m., with dismissal at 2:25 p.m., on the district’s 2026-27 schedule. Children may enter the building at 7:15 a.m.

What grade did the Early Childhood Education Center get from the state?

A B for 2025-26, with 418 of 700 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results released Oct. 15, 2026.