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Benoit, Mississippi is a small rural community whose largest employer is agriculture related. The town is nestled between the city of Greenville to the South and Rosedale to the North West. The residents are very competitive and active parent partners committed to the school and its endeavors.
The town of Benoit was founded in 1889 by James Richardson, one of the largest cotton growers in the world. He named the town Benoit after his highly regarded auditor, A. W. Benoit.
The town was flooded by the Flood of 1912 and was later rebuilt. Benoit is home to Bolivar County's only remaining Antebellum Dwelling. John Crawford Burrus erected the residence between 1859 and 1861 to accommodate his large family. Benoit is also considered a "Sportsman's Paradise" with plentiful fishing and hunting sites.
"Baby Doll" the Movie put Benoit on the map. The movie was filmed in Benoit from November 1955-February 1956. The cast included Eli Wallach, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Mildren Dunnock, and Rip Torn. Directed by Elia Kazan and was filmed primarily in the Burrus House.
In 1971 a major fire destroyed much of the downtown area. The town refused to give up and efforts were made to establish new businesses and a new community center was built.
The first school was built in 1904 and was known as "The White House". That structure is currently used by the Benoit Union Church. The new school and its auditorium were built in the mid 50's after a fire destroyed the former building. Nugent Center was erected in 1960 and was later renamed Ray Brooks School.
There is one school in the Benoit District. Ray Brooks School serves students from Headstart through grade twelve. The present enrollment is approximately 320 students. This is one of the few schools where all students are housed on one campus. The school proudly holds two championship titles and claimed both after reopening the High School a few years ago.
With the help of "First Steps" The Benoit School District is able to nurture students from Birth to graduation from high school. The district is privileged to have a hard working technology coordinator, Mrs. Sherry H. Shepard who faithfully purses alternative funding sources to assist the district in its acquisition of the latest technology.
Benoit is a small town filled with "TIGER PRIDE and DELTA HERITAGE".
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