JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Wednesday was a bittersweet day for the faculty, staff and students of Wingfield High School in Jackson.

The high school closed its doors for he final time. Many gathered to honor the school’s final day with a balloon release.

“We just here. They closing our school, but you know, they have to do what they have to do,” said Terri Palmer, a member of the Class of 1975.

“You know, as some people say, that it’s bittersweet. But I really don’t see the sweet in it, because we really have been a family for the whole time I’ve been here,” said Damon Williams.

Two middle schools and eight elementary schools, along with Wingfield, will close their doors at the end of the school year.

In December 2023, the JPS Board of Trustees voted in favor of a plan to close the schools.