(The Center Square) – Open enrollment laws for Mississippi’s nearly half-million schoolchildren are among the worst in America, says a new analysis.
Only seven states were worse meeting four out of seven metrics, says report author Jude Schwalbach of the Reason Foundation. Public Schools Without Boundaries 2025, released Thursday, dives into seven areas of open enrollment for each state and offers related developments.
Scoring for a possible 100 points perfect score was in statewide cross-district open enrollment (60 points); statewide within-district open enrollment (15); children have free access to all public schools (10); public schools open to all students (5); transparent state reporting on transfers (4); transparent district reporting on transfers (4); and transfer applicants able to appeal rejected applications (2).
Mississippi gained half of the statewide cross-district open enrollment points, the only category in which it scored. The 30 points tied with New York and earned a letter grade of F.
The 2025-26 fiscal spending plan appropriated by the state included nearly $3 billion for K-12 education.
The Reason Foundation is a Libertarian think tank. It promotes liberty, free markets and the rule of law.
Earlier this year, Mississippi was No. 21 in the 2025 Education Freedom Report produced by the American Legislative Exchange Council, earning a letter grade of C. Measurements are not apples to apples with Reason. There, Mississippi scored a D each in open enrollment, education freedom, charter schools, virtual schools and homeschooling. The state got a B in homeschooling.
