Education in Madison Parish did not come easily. The initial education efforts in the reconstruction period were managed by benevolent societies. Facilities were substandard, and educators and students were often treated poorly. Public schools were initially attended by African Americans and they were bitterly opposed by whites. One and two room schools dominated the landscape from the 1920’s. Finally, after World War II a surplus military building was bought by the school board and became Reuben McCall High School, a centralized African American school in Tallulah. In 1950 a brick building was constructed. Later, the schools were consolidated at Reuben McCall High School for African Americans in Madison Parish. This was accomplished by the bond issue of 1955. Integration began by court order in 1965 and then in 1970 all of the schools were integrated. Two year books were added from 1965 and 1966.
African American High Schools in Louisiana Before 1970 