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🎓 Mississippi School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships
Which Mississippi education savings accounts, scholarships and tax credits a homeschool family can use, what they pay for, and where Mississippi stands on school choice — from our Mississippi guide.
| Homeschool law | Home instruction is one of the exceptions to Mississippi's Compulsory School Attendance Law (Miss. Code 37-13-91(3)(c)). A child is of compulsory school age if they turn 6 on or before September 1 and have not turned 17 on or before September 1 of that year, plus any 5-year-old enrolled in full-day public kindergarten. The only test in the law is that the program must not be operated to avoid or get around the compulsory attendance law. MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and its local School Attendance Officers administer it. |
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| Filing | One form a year: the certificate of enrollment, due to the school attendance officer where the child lives on or before August 15. SB 2103 (2026) moved the deadline from September 15, effective July 1, 2026. MDE also accepts the form by email at homeschool@mdek12.org. It asks only for the child's and parent's names, address and phone, the child's date of birth, the school district, a simple description of the education program and a signature. |
| Testing | None. The law sets no testing, curriculum approval, required subjects or teacher qualification for home instruction. It requires no 180-day year for nonpublic schools either: their term is whatever number of days the school requires for promotion (37-13-91(2)(e)). MDE recommends keeping a portfolio of work, a log of books and materials, and results of any national tests. |
| State ESA for homeschoolers | No. The ESA (up to $8,421 for 2026–27, for students with an IEP within the past three years), the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship and the Nate Rogers Scholarship all require enrollment in an eligible private or special-purpose school. ESA parents must agree in writing not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment. |
| College aid | Homeschool graduates can apply for the state's MTAG, MESG and HELP grants. They send the Office of Student Financial Aid a signed, notarized transcript with an unweighted seven-semester GPA, plus an official ACT or SAT score report. Minimum ACT: 15 for MTAG, 29 for MESG, 20 for HELP. |
| Federal tax credit | Mississippi is on the IRS list of states taking part in the federal scholarship tax credit for 2027 (as of October 22, 2026). The Governor's office said it would designate the scholarship-granting organizations. We found no Mississippi list yet. Whether these scholarships can pay homeschool costs is unsettled: the proposed federal rules tie eligible expenses to a "school" as defined by state law, and Treasury says more guidance is coming. |
What Mississippi offers homeschool families, and what it doesn't
Mississippi has no state money for homeschooling. Its three private-choice programs, explained below, are for students with disabilities, and all three require the child to attend an eligible private or special-purpose school. None can be used by a child in a home instruction program.
Read the full section in our Mississippi guide
The ESA, Dyslexia and Nate Rogers scholarships: why homeschoolers can't use them
Education Scholarship Account (Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act, Miss. Code 37-181-1 and following). Run by MDE's Office of Special Education, it reimburses families for private school tuition and certain other expenses for students with disabilities. For 2026–27 the maximum is $8,421. To qualify, a Mississippi student must have had an active IEP, developed by a public school district, within three years of the application, and must be accepted by an eligible school. The law defines an eligible school as a state-accredited special-purpose school, a state-accredited nonpublic school, or a nonpublic school in Mississippi that serves the student's disability or IEP, and adds: "An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91." Parents must sign an agreement not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment, not to enroll the child in public school, and not to use the Dyslexia or Nate Rogers scholarship at the same time. MDE's FAQ adds that tutoring and therapy can't be reimbursed for a student who is homeschooled.
How the ESA works: applications are accepted all year. MDE recommends applying December through May so the award arrives before school starts. A complete application needs an acceptance letter on the private school's letterhead, the IEP and evaluation, proof of residency, the child's birth certificate, the parent's ID and the signed responsibilities page. MDE reviews it within 21 business days and awards ESAs first come, first served, with a waitlist when money runs out. Current participants don't reapply but must recertify in the parent portal from April 1 to April 30 each year. Students stay in the program until they return to public school, finish high school, finish the school year in which they turn 21, or miss the three-year disability recheck. The program is set to be repealed July 1, 2028 unless the Legislature extends it (HB 1229, 2024).
Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship: for students with a dyslexia diagnosis from a licensed psychometrist, psychologist or speech-language pathologist. The scholarship can be used at one of five MDE-approved special-purpose nonpublic schools: Magnolia Speech School (Madison), 3D School (Petal), Lighthouse Academy (Ocean Springs), Innova Prep (Hattiesburg) and The Canopy School (Ridgeland). The program also lets a student transfer to another public school. The 2026–2027 application goes by certified mail to MDE's Office of Elementary Education and Reading.
Nate Rogers Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship: for students in kindergarten through grade 6 (or age 11) whose IDEA eligibility is a speech-language impairment. They must enroll in, and attend in person, an MDE-accredited nonpublic special-purpose school whose main purpose is speech-language therapy. MDE pays the school directly, and the amount is based on the student base cost as appropriated.
Read the full section in our Mississippi guide
What the ESA pays for
MDE's allowable expenses list follows the statute (37-181-5). Expenses must support "an organized appropriate educational program with measurable goals" in at least reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science:
- Tuition and academic fees at an eligible school (other fees only if they directly affect the student's educational needs)
- Textbooks for academic coursework
- A tutor who is certified or licensed by a state, regional or national certification, licensing or accreditation body. Parents can't be reimbursed as their own child's tutor (Rule 74.21).
- Curriculum, including supplemental materials the curriculum requires
- Fees for nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement tests, alternate assessments, AP exams and college admission exams
- Educational services or therapies from a licensed or certified practitioner or provider, including licensed or certified paraprofessionals or aides
- Dual enrollment tuition, fees and textbooks for a high school student at an accredited community college, college or university (not after graduation)
- Up to $50 a year in consumable school supplies
- Computers, software and other devices, if the school, a licensed and certified tutor or provider, or a licensed medical professional confirms in writing that they're essential to the student's goals. Devices must be donated to a public school or library when the student leaves the program.
Read the full section in our Mississippi guide
The 2026 school choice bill and what's next
House Bill 2 of 2026, the "Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026," would have created Magnolia Student Accounts run by the State Treasurer. Students at participating private schools or colleges would have received the student base amount under the state funding formula. Students at other private schools would have received up to