High School plays final home football game

FALKNER, Miss. (WTVA) – Falkner High School held its final home football game.

Their last match came ahead of its permanent closure at the end of the academic year.

The closure is part of a consolidation plan approved by the North Tippah School Board in 2024 to merge Falkner High School and Walnut High School into a single institution named North Tippah County.

Superintendent Dax Glover said the consolidation will save the district nearly $1.5 million annually, allowing the school to expand academic offerings by adding electives and upper-level courses.

The decision has drawn frustration and disappointment from community members, including former Falkner principal and coach Billy Bolden.

“The things that they went through to close this school is not right, and we are disappointed with the board and what they’ve done,” Bolden said. “We love our kids here tonight, and they are playing their hearts out here tonight because it may be the last home game.”

District officials currently have no plan in place regarding the future of the Falkner High School facility following the end of the school year.

Earlier this year, the school board voted to borrow more than $2 million to expand Walnut High School and Chalybeate Elementary School to accommodate incoming students from Falkner.