Laurence Clifton Jones (November 21, 1882 – July 13, 1975) was the founder and long time president of Piney Woods Country Life School in Rankin County, Mississippi. A noted educational innovator, Jones spent his adult life supporting the educational advancement of rural African American students in the segregated South.

After graduation from the University of Iowa in 1908 Jones taught at the Utica Institute, a school for African American children located in Utica, Mississippi. It was when Jones learned rural Rankin County, Mississippi had eighty percent illiteracy, that Jones identified his personal mission. He started the Piney Woods School with just $2 and three students. A local freed slave gave Jones 40 acres and an abandoned sheep shed to start his Piney Woods School.

After marrying Grace Morris Allen in 1912, Jones built a larger school to accommodate the larger number of children interested in attending. Grace had founded the Industrial School for African American students in Burlington, Iowa before they married. There were many supporters and donations for the larger school. The wood for the new building was donated, cattle for milk, a large amount of land and cash. For the rest of her life Grace raised funds for the school and taught courses in domestic science.

The school thrived without controversy. Jones taught students about agriculture, carpentry, dairy farming and construction. With assistance from his wife, Jones led several singing groups across the South, the Midwest and the East on fundraising tours. Beginning in the 1930’s the school also sponsored baseball teams as part of their fundraising efforts. Jones even appeared on the This is Your Life  television show in the 1950’s, and after telling his story he asked viewers to each send in $1 to support the school. This raised $700,000 with which he was able to start the schools endowment fund, which was reported to be $7,000,000 when Jones died.

Jones received many awards and honors for his contribution to education. He authored several books and was a board member of the Mississippi Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs and the state executive committee for the Y. M. C. A.