From national award-winning elementary schools to one of the nation's top research universities, Oktibbeha County's education resources are excellent. At all levels there is a commitment to insuring that students are ready for the job market.

Tech Prep is a State initiative that integrates academic course work in high school with rigorous concentration of technical education. Planned sequences of courses begin at the 9th grade and conclude with post- secondary courses at area community colleges, leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree. Credits may be transferred if the student wishes to pursue a four-year degree. Tech Prep is designed to provide employers with a workforce equipped with the basic skills, technical attributes, and work ethic suitable for immediate entry as productive workers. Starkville's was named "Exemplary Tech Prep Program" for the State in 1995.

In 1998 the Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence was completed on the campus of East Mississippi Community College (8 miles east of Starkville). Designed to assist area companies in reaching and maintaining a competitive posture in a 21st century global economy, the Center is a major new initiative of industry and education. Its mission is to provide entry level through sophisticated skills training and management upgrade courses to make local industry and business more productive through a more educated and improved workforce.