A Hinds County chancery judge has issued a temporary restraining order that pauses the state's plan to close SR-1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy, a charter school in Canton, for now. Last week, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board voted to close the school, citing low academic performance and problems with fiscal management. The school's president said the court will review at a later hearing whether that vote was valid. Families are set to meet later this week to hear what comes next.
Mississippi is among the states the IRS has listed as opting into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) for 2027. Beginning January 1, 2027, individual taxpayers may be able to claim the credit of up to
,700 ($3,400 if filing jointly) for certain cash contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Before taxpayers can claim it, a state must choose to participate and provide the IRS with a list of participating SGOs. The IRS notice does not name the participating SGOs in this excerpt, so families who want more detail should check the IRS notice and the state's official information.
Speaker Jason White (R) shared a Cygnal poll of 501 likely Mississippi general election voters showing majority support for creating a school choice program like those in other states, with 50.1% saying yes. Another 41.1% backed Magnolia Student Accounts, which let eligible families use part of public education funding for expenses such as private school tuition, tutoring or transportation. The poll also found 56.6% support eliminating property taxes on homestead property and 72% support restoring the ballot initiative process. The article notes that school choice efforts have stalled in the Senate and that eliminating property taxes would require finding new revenue for local government and schools.
Progress Learning (vendor blog) · Fri, Oct 9, 2026
Mississippi Senate Bill 2294, an omnibus education bill, went into effect July 1, 2026. It changes how school districts handle math intervention, middle school literacy and high school graduation requirements. Unlike the state's 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, the bill does not mandate grade retention. Instead, it places the job of daily, ongoing intervention on school districts. Sections 1 through 12 establish the "Moving Mathematics in Mississippi" (M3) program, backed by a $3.45 million appropriation, and a $9 million appropriation supports timelines for older readers. The article notes that the required individualized math and reading plans add significant workload for educators. Families can expect changes to math and reading support and to coursework that will affect school scheduling over the next few years.
The Mississippi State Treasury is encouraging families to start saving early for college and career training. Its state-backed Mississippi Affordable College Savings program, or MACS, works much like a traditional savings account, offers some tax advantages, and can be opened with as little as
5. On August 1 of this year, the Treasury reduced MACS fees by nearly 20 percent. The Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program, MPACT, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and lets families lock in today's tuition rates through a prepaid contract. Families can learn more at treasury.ms.gov/collegesavings.
Mississippi public school districts are updating attendance policies under Senate Bill 2103, which took effect July 1 and requires districts to adopt locally tailored policies by Nov. 1. The law generally allows five excused absences per semester, and medical documentation is required after a student's third illness-related absence. Some parents, educators and a pediatrician have raised questions about how this will affect students with chronic illnesses and families facing copays, lost work time or transportation barriers. The law also raises the attendance threshold for a full-day count from 63% to 66%, and it sets earlier steps for schools to contact families about absences. Families are encouraged to check with their local district for its policy before the deadline.
Mississippi has moved the deadline for homeschool parents to file their certificate of enrollment from September 15 to August 15. The change was a small provision of a truancy bill, and HSLDA says some local districts have misunderstood it. In one northern Mississippi case, an attendance official asked a family for a reason before issuing a verification of its filing. After HSLDA contacted the official, the family received its verification copy. This appears based on Mississippi Department of Education procedures saying verifications will be issued "with appropriate justification," a phrase HSLDA says is not in the law. HSLDA plans to contest that wording and says several families it helped have received their verifications.
Representatives of three charter school groups, Clarksdale Collegiate, Midtown Public and the nonprofit Embark, asked the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board on Monday to base decisions about charter schools on objective performance data rather than "professional judgment." They also asked that a full board vote be required before any school is placed on the authorizer's intervention ladder, and said the authorizer needs to be "clear, consistent and predictable" with schools. The board approved its revised charter renewal guidance and performance framework changes as filed, and no discussion was recorded before the vote. Mississippi now has ten open charter schools, in Jackson, Clarksdale, Greenwood, Canton and Natchez, with two more approved for the 2024 cycle that have not yet opened.
Mississippi asks very little of families who teach their children at home. Children who turn six by September 1 and are not yet seventeen must be enrolled in school or a recognized alternative, and home instruction is one. Families file a single certificate of enrollment with the school attendance officer for their area, due by September 15 each year. The form asks for basic family and child information, a signature, and a simple description of the education provided. The state does not require standardized testing, set subjects or instructional hours, a teaching license, or curriculum approval. Record keeping is not required, though families often keep records for school re-entry and high school transcripts.
Mississippi Department of Education (EdUpdate) · Mon, Jul 27, 2026
The Mississippi Department of Education has sent district leaders updates on the state's revised compulsory school attendance law, which takes effect July 1, 2026. Shared at the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents Summer Conference, the updates include a new statewide SAO Portal that all districts will use for attendance referrals and reporting this school year, replacing earlier submission methods. The department has also released a Guest User Access Guide, updated Attendance Referral Flow Charts, and a draft Mississippi Attendance Playbook. Districts are asked to share these materials with administrators, attendance clerks and counselors. Questions can go to Dr. Bryan Marshall or Jeremy Andrews.
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