Coleman, a graduate of the all-black Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi took the position of principal as well as the entire faculty, with a student body of 50.
The school gymnasium was at that time the only gym for Negro children in the county.
In 1951, a fireproof high school building and a science lab were added on an adjacent tract of land.
[citation needed] On April 15, 1970 there was a shooting resulting in five injuries and one death.
Earnest C. Smith, a guidance scientist who developed NASA's lunar rover, at one time taught mathematics at Coleman.