Mississippi
U.S.
Rank
- Opportunity
- Innovation
- Policy Environment
Score:
62%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#39
Cap of 15 new charters per year.
Law passed: 2010
Most recently amended: 2013
Number of charter schools: 6 (a seventh is slated to open in 2020)
Number of charter students: 2,128
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes – 15 new schools per year
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: Only one – the Mississippi Charter Board. Charter schools in any districts not deemed low-performing must also be approved by the local board.
GROWTH: Charters receiving an ‘F’ in the last year of their 5-year contract are not eligible for renewal. The cap of 15 new schools per year allows for some growth, but likely hinders some potential operators from submitting applications, particularly when combined with only one authorizer.
OPERATIONS: Charters are exempt from some, but not all, laws and regulations that apply to traditional public schools. They must follow several of the laws and regulations regarding discipline and curriculum. All teachers must be traditionally certified after a school has operated for three years. No virtual charter schools are permitted here.
EQUITY: Local funding for charters is equal to the local tax rate for the district schools. The state directs each school’s proportionate share of funds from federal and state categorical funds to eligible charter schools. Authorizers receive a three percent administrative fee. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for charters.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#33
Three private school choice programs that serve approximately 753 students across the state have very small participation numbers and saw no significant changes since 2018.
Law enacted: 2012-2015
Number of programs: 3
Statewide Participation: 753
Types of programs: Voucher (2), Education Savings Account
Voucher
Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship Program
Mississippi enacted the nation’s only school choice program for students with dyslexia in 2012. The program provides vouchers to students with dyslexia to attend accredited private schools with dyslexia therapy programs. There is no income limit for eligibility, and no enrollment cap. The voucher amount is capped at $5,626 per student.
Voucher
Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship (Nate Rogers)
This voucher program began in 2013 for students with speech-language therapy needs. As of 2020, there are 2 participating students. The voucher amount is capped at $5,626 per- student. There is no income limit for eligibility, and no enrollment cap.
Education Savings Account
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program
The states’ first ESA was enacted in 2015, with 502 students participating in 2020. This program allows students with special needs to put a portion of their public funding into a government authorized education savings account with multiple uses. The annual award amount is capped at $6,765, and there is no income limit for eligibility. The program has an enrollment cap of 2,500 students.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#25
Has some strong requirements for teacher prep but ”does not collect or publicly report data that connect student growth to teacher preparation programs.”
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 69%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 72%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 85%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 70%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 88%
Retaining Effective Teachers 55%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 79%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 72%
Score:
62%
Grade:
D
Rank:
#39
Cap of 15 new charters per year.
Law passed: 2010
Most recently amended: 2013
Number of charter schools: 6 (a seventh is slated to open in 2020)
Number of charter students: 2,128
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes – 15 new schools per year
Virtual charters allowed? No
AUTHORIZERS: Only one – the Mississippi Charter Board. Charter schools in any districts not deemed low-performing must also be approved by the local board.
GROWTH: Charters receiving an ‘F’ in the last year of their 5-year contract are not eligible for renewal. The cap of 15 new schools per year allows for some growth, but likely hinders some potential operators from submitting applications, particularly when combined with only one authorizer.
OPERATIONS: Charters are exempt from some, but not all, laws and regulations that apply to traditional public schools. They must follow several of the laws and regulations regarding discipline and curriculum. All teachers must be traditionally certified after a school has operated for three years. No virtual charter schools are permitted here.
EQUITY: Local funding for charters is equal to the local tax rate for the district schools. The state directs each school’s proportionate share of funds from federal and state categorical funds to eligible charter schools. Authorizers receive a three percent administrative fee. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for charters.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#33
Three private school choice programs that serve approximately 753 students across the state have very small participation numbers and saw no significant changes since 2018.
Law enacted: 2012-2015
Number of programs: 3
Statewide Participation: 753
Types of programs: Voucher (2), Education Savings Account
Voucher
Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship Program
Mississippi enacted the nation’s only school choice program for students with dyslexia in 2012. The program provides vouchers to students with dyslexia to attend accredited private schools with dyslexia therapy programs. There is no income limit for eligibility, and no enrollment cap. The voucher amount is capped at $5,626 per student.
Voucher
Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship (Nate Rogers)
This voucher program began in 2013 for students with speech-language therapy needs. As of 2020, there are 2 participating students. The voucher amount is capped at $5,626 per- student. There is no income limit for eligibility, and no enrollment cap.
Education Savings Account
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program
The states’ first ESA was enacted in 2015, with 502 students participating in 2020. This program allows students with special needs to put a portion of their public funding into a government authorized education savings account with multiple uses. The annual award amount is capped at $6,765, and there is no income limit for eligibility. The program has an enrollment cap of 2,500 students.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#25
Has some strong requirements for teacher prep but ”does not collect or publicly report data that connect student growth to teacher preparation programs.”
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 69%
General Teacher Preparation 62%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 72%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 85%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 70%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 71%
Hiring 88%
Retaining Effective Teachers 55%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 79%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 72%
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#51
In May 2020, the State Superintendent of Education presented a Statewide Digital Learning Plan to the Mississippi Legislature. The plan describes providing devices to students, distributing hotspots in homes, providing professional development to educators and ensuring schools have access to high quality digital tools and learning content. However there is little activity to help implement digital learning instruction.
In June 2020 Lawmakers passed the “Equity in Distance Learning Act”, dedicating $150 million from federal CARES Act funding with the goal of making sure every student in the state has a device and internet connectivity.
Bandwidth: 93.1% of students in Mississippi can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 33,522 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning. In Mississippi, 32% of households do not have broadband.
Personalized learning is included in Mississippi’s Board of Education Strategic Plan. The state also has the Districts of Innovation program, which gives districts flexibility from some of the policies and regulations that inhibit personalized learning. Currently, schools participating in the program use the Early College High School model, which gives students hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom.

Governor Tate Reeves first closed schools on March 19th, a closure that was extended through the end of the school year on April 17th.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi worked to ensure all students had access to devices and the internet in order to be able to learn remotely, and offered professional development opportunities for teachers. The state did not offer guidance on distance learning plans, unfortunately, but did create a great new website with information and resources.
Mississippi has continued to expand technological access for all students, as they have ordered over 400,000 devices in preparation for the 2020-21 school year, which will be distributed to those in need.
Mississippi’s Learning At Home resource page is very user-friendly and provides learning materials broken down by age group and need.
Guidelines for reopening schools for the 2020-21 school year are published here and districts are empowered to make many decisions for their students:
State recommendations have changed several times as the state had an increase of COVID cases. Many decisions are up to districts, and many had planned to reopen fully in-person in early August, but made last-minute decisions to delay starting.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
F
Rank:
#51
In May 2020, the State Superintendent of Education presented a Statewide Digital Learning Plan to the Mississippi Legislature. The plan describes providing devices to students, distributing hotspots in homes, providing professional development to educators and ensuring schools have access to high quality digital tools and learning content. However there is little activity to help implement digital learning instruction.
In June 2020 Lawmakers passed the “Equity in Distance Learning Act”, dedicating $150 million from federal CARES Act funding with the goal of making sure every student in the state has a device and internet connectivity.
Bandwidth: 93.1% of students in Mississippi can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 33,522 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning. In Mississippi, 32% of households do not have broadband.
Personalized learning is included in Mississippi’s Board of Education Strategic Plan. The state also has the Districts of Innovation program, which gives districts flexibility from some of the policies and regulations that inhibit personalized learning. Currently, schools participating in the program use the Early College High School model, which gives students hands-on learning experiences outside of the classroom.

Governor Tate Reeves first closed schools on March 19th, a closure that was extended through the end of the school year on April 17th.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi worked to ensure all students had access to devices and the internet in order to be able to learn remotely, and offered professional development opportunities for teachers. The state did not offer guidance on distance learning plans, unfortunately, but did create a great new website with information and resources.
Mississippi has continued to expand technological access for all students, as they have ordered over 400,000 devices in preparation for the 2020-21 school year, which will be distributed to those in need.
Mississippi’s Learning At Home resource page is very user-friendly and provides learning materials broken down by age group and need.
Guidelines for reopening schools for the 2020-21 school year are published here and districts are empowered to make many decisions for their students:
State recommendations have changed several times as the state had an increase of COVID cases. Many decisions are up to districts, and many had planned to reopen fully in-person in early August, but made last-minute decisions to delay starting.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:

Tate Reeves (R)
First term began in 2020 (two-term limit)
Since being elected in 2019, Governor Tate Reeves has signed both an ESA program and a charter school bill into law, although the charter school bill is one of the weakest in the country. Governor Reeves supports the notion of parent power but we’ve not seen as aggressive an effort as is indicated by his rhetoric. And the importance of innovative models of learning isn’t very strong here.
The legislature is split on its support for educational choice and there’s much more it can do to expand and improve educational opportunities for families in Mississippi, but it takes leadership.

The Mississippi constitution contains a Blaine Amendment, but in a recent case “the Mississippi Supreme Court distinguished between aiding students and aiding the schools they choose to attend,” (Institute for Justice) and therefore has validated the use of public funds for parental choices including parochial schools.
In September 2019, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of charter schools receiving state and local dollars.

School report cards are easily accessible and highlighted on the main page of the Mississippi DOE website. Report cards are incredibly clean and easy to navigate, featuring a summative letter grade at the top of the report. Data on student proficiency, state assessments, teacher quality, and school environment are displayed in simple charts with the function of clicking for more detailed information on that specific measure. Additionally, educational options are easily located from the state DOE homepage improving accountability and transparency in the state.
School Board Elections are during the General Election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.

Tate Reeves (R)
First term began in 2020 (two-term limit)
Since being elected in 2019, Governor Tate Reeves has signed both an ESA program and a charter school bill into law, although the charter school bill is one of the weakest in the country. Governor Reeves supports the notion of parent power but we’ve not seen as aggressive an effort as is indicated by his rhetoric. And the importance of innovative models of learning isn’t very strong here.
The legislature is split on its support for educational choice and there’s much more it can do to expand and improve educational opportunities for families in Mississippi, but it takes leadership.

The Mississippi constitution contains a Blaine Amendment, but in a recent case “the Mississippi Supreme Court distinguished between aiding students and aiding the schools they choose to attend,” (Institute for Justice) and therefore has validated the use of public funds for parental choices including parochial schools.
In September 2019, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of charter schools receiving state and local dollars.

School report cards are easily accessible and highlighted on the main page of the Mississippi DOE website. Report cards are incredibly clean and easy to navigate, featuring a summative letter grade at the top of the report. Data on student proficiency, state assessments, teacher quality, and school environment are displayed in simple charts with the function of clicking for more detailed information on that specific measure. Additionally, educational options are easily located from the state DOE homepage improving accountability and transparency in the state.
School Board Elections are during the General Election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.