Stigall Primary's History

It is a public, rural elementary school serving the community of Humboldt, Tennessee, which is located in the southern part of Gibson County in West Tennessee. Stigall has always been a source of pride and has served as a center of activities in the Humboldt Community. In the 1870's, the first school for African-American children was formed in Humboldt, TN. This was held at the place of worship for the CME Church in a section of town on the west side called "Plum Orchard."

In 1881, the CME Church erected a new building in the northwest sector of the city called the "Bottom" area, which is now called Vine Street. The board granted permission to have classes in the new church building.

In 1892, the board elected to construct the first African-American School in Humboldt on Sixth Street. Professor Thomas Stigall was selected as the first principal of this school. This structure burned in 1920 and was replaced by a brick building. This building also burned and was replaced by another brick building.

As the African-American population grew, there was need for more space at this school to accommodate the growing number of students. In 1965, a new building was erected at 1 Westside Drive. The old building was used to educate children in grades 1 through 8 and the new building became Stigall High School for students in grades 9 through 12.

In 1970, complete integration of grades 7-12 took place in Humboldt. Stigall High School became the junior high school for the eighth and ninth grade students. Stigall Elementary held grades K-7. In 1976, the old Stigall School on Sixth Street was vacated. The new Stigall High School building, which was used as a junior high school, became Stigall Elementary School and was used for grades K-6. Mr. C.C. Moody served as an elementary principal until 1984. From 1985-1992, this school became Stigall Middle for grades Kindergarten, fifth grade, and sixth grade. From 1992-2007, Stigall Middle served fifth and sixth grade students. 

For the 2007-2008 school year, Stigall Middle School was restructured to Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade school and re-named Stigall Magnet Academy. Stigall then served  preschool to fifth grade. The main magnet theme for the school was Multiple Intelligences. For the 2010-2011 school year, Stigall serves students in Pre-K through 1st grade.

Source: School Improvement Plan 2007