Mississippi
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program
- Education Savings Account (ESA)
- Enacted 2015
- Launched 2015
The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program, an education savings account (ESA) program, allows Mississippi students with special needs to receive a portion of their public funding in a government-authorized savings account with multiple uses.
We do not administer this program.
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345
Participating Students (2024–2025)
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7%
Students Eligible Statewide
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90
Participating Schools (2024–2025)
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$7,829
Annual Award Value (2024–2025)
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71%
Value as a Percentage of Public School Per-Student Spending
Mississippi’s Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Program Participation
Student Funding
Use of Funds
Education savings account funds may pay for tuition and academic fees at eligible private schools; textbooks related to academic coursework; tutoring provided by a licensed or certified provider; testing fees for nationally norm-referenced testing or Advanced Placement exams; curriculum, including required supplemental materials; licensed therapy services; tuition and fees for dual-enrollment courses at a postsecondary institution for a high school student; textbooks for dual-enrollment courses; consumable school supplies up to $50 annually; and essential computer hardware and software. Participation in a home instruction program is not permitted.
Funding Amount and Source
Funding for the program is provided by an annual legislative appropriation, currently at $3 million. The max award amount was set at $6,500 in 2015–2016, based on the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF) base student cost–funding amount provided by the state to public schools, and is subject to annual increases or decreases by the same proportion as MSFF. The Office of Special Education calculates the amount each spring as it varies based upon the availability of funds and number of participants. For the 2024–2025 school year, the maximum reimbursement was $7,829. Due to the limited funding, eligible applicants may be placed on a waitlist. Funds will be paid quarterly to the parent, or if approved by the parent, to an educational service provider, on a reimbursement basis. The parent must submit a reimbursement request with documentation. No lump sum reimbursements are permitted.
(Last updated July 15, 2024)
Student Eligibility
To establish eligibility, a student must reside in Mississippi and have had an active Individualized Education Plan (IEP) within the past three years and maintained eligibility. While participating in this program, students are not eligible for either a Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship or a Nate Rogers Scholarship. Participating students are automatically approved to participate the following year. Once enrolled in the program, participating parents do not need to reapply for funding if their students remain outside of the public school system.
(Last updated July 15, 2024)
EdChoice Expert Feedback
Mississippi’s ESA program for students with special needs helps hundreds of students access schools that are the right fit for them, but policymakers could do much more to expand educational opportunity. Eligibility for the scholarships is limited to students in grades K–12 who have had an IEP in the previous five years. Only 19 percent of Mississippi students are eligible for a scholarship and less than one percent of students statewide actually use one of Mississippi’s three educational choice programs (including the Nate Rogers Scholarship for Students with Disabilities and the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship Program). The ESA value is $7,089, which is about 70 percent of the average expenditure per student at Mississippi’s district schools. Only $3 million in funding for the ESAs is currently available, which is equivalent to only 0.06 percent of Mississippi’s total K–12 revenue. To expand access to educational choice, Mississippi policymakers should expand eligibility to all students. Mississippi’s ESA program has some unnecessary and counterproductive regulations. In 2020, Mississippi lawmakers took a step backward by disallowing the use of ESA funds at out-of-state schools or online schools, needlessly limiting the options available to ESA families. Moreover, unlike the ESA programs in other states, the Mississippi ESA does not allow rollover funds to be saved into a college savings account if they remain unused. Reversing these policies would provide greater freedom and flexibility for families to customize their child’s education, as well as a greater incentive to utilize their ESA funds efficiently. (Last updated December 18, 2023)Rules and Regulations
Participant and Family Requirements
- Income Limit: None
- Prior Year Public School Requirement: Yes, With Exceptions
- Enrollment Cap: 3,500A
- ccount Cap: $7,089/Tied to Base Funding Annually
- Testing Mandates: None
- Special Needs Pathway: Limited to students with special needs
- Document child’s disability at least once every three years
- Sign an agreement to provide an organized, appropriate educational program with measurable goals
- Not enroll participating child in a public school and waive Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) rights under Individuals with (Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Immediately notify the Mississippi Department of Education of a disability or enrollment status change
- Not to participate in a home instruction program
Education Provider Guidelines
- Be accredited by or hold a provisional letter of accreditation from a state or regional accrediting agency
- Comply with health and safety laws that apply to nonpublic schools
- Hold a valid occupancy permit if required by municipality
- Administer a pre-assessment at the beginning of the school year and a post-assessment at the end of the school year.
- Comply with the 42 U.S.C. § 1981 federal nondiscrimination law.
- Provide parents of prospective students details of the school’s programs, qualifications, experience, and capacity to serve students with disabilities
- Have no record of fraud or abuse
- Conduct criminal background checks on employees
(Last updated December 13, 2024)
Legal History
No legal challenges have been filed against the program.
(Last updated July 15, 2024)