STONE COUNTY — Darlene Bush said her daughter struggled to recognize her own name in prekindergarten. By the end of first grade, she was falling behind, and Bush turned to The 3D School in Petal — one of Mississippi’s approved special-purpose schools for students with the learning disability. 

During her two years at the school, Ella began reading and regained confidence. When she returned to public school in fifth grade, she won an English Language Arts award — proof, her mother says, of what the right support can do. 

For families like the Bushes, the state scholarship makes specialized dyslexia therapy possible. Their experience reflects a growing question at the Capitol: Should more Mississippi parents be able to direct public education dollars toward schools and programs they believe work best?

Mississippi’s response to dyslexia 

Dyslexia is a neurobiological, specific learning disability that affects reading, spelling and writing. It is among the most common learning disabilities, with experts estimating that as many as one in five people show signs of it. 

Mississippi was one of the first states to gain national attention for its approach to dyslexia. The state requires every kindergarten and first grade student to be screened for dyslexia, provides ongoing training for teachers and allows parents to use state scholarships towards tuition at approved schools. 

Mississippi also ranks among the top states for the number of Certified Academic Language Therapists — specialists trained to help students with dyslexia — but advocates say they rarely work inside public schools. 

State education data from 2024-25 show 154 educators have a dyslexia license endorsement, with 57 working as therapists in public schools. A separate count by the Academic Language Therapy Association lists 378 licensed therapists statewide. 

Dr. Cena Hollifield, a registered dyslexia therapist and founder of The 3D School, said the limited number of dyslexia therapists in public schools leaves parents to cover the cost of private therapy or tuition at a specialized school.  

Cost of dyslexia help 

Cost has been one of the biggest barriers to therapy for many Mississippi families — including the Bushes. Ella’s tuition at The 3D School was about $900 a month. With the help of a state scholarship, Bush said half of that was covered. 

Mississippi offers the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia, which allows children with a dyslexia diagnosis in grades K-12 to use state funds for tuition at a public school with a licensed dyslexia therapist or at an approved special-purpose nonpublic school. 

The scholarship provides a voucher worth, at most, the total state and local per-student funding amount for the school year. Unlike other programs, it is not capped, meaning every eligible student who applies can receive it. 

Hollifield said the scholarship has made specialized instruction possible for many families. 

“The law that was passed in 2012 was really revolutionary … if your child has a diagnosis of dyslexia, the state money goes to the special-purpose school to supplement tuition. It’s not enough to completely pay for it, but it certainly makes it affordable,” Holifield said. 

As of 2025, the Mississippi Department of Education lists five approved schools that can accept students through the program: 

• Magnolia Speech School in Madison and The Canopy School in Ridgeland serve the Jackson metro area. 

• The 3D School in Petal and Innova Prep in Hattiesburg serve the Pine Belt. 

• Lighthouse Academy in Ocean Springs serves the Gulf Coast. 

Large sections of the state — including the Delta and northeast Mississippi — are without a nearby MDE Special Purpose Non-Public School. Families outside those regions may face long commutes if they want their child to attend a specialized school. 

School choice debate 

That gap has led to growing calls from Mississippi leaders to expand school choice and give parents more control over where their child attends school. 

House Education Chair Rob Roberson, whose children were diagnosed with dyslexia, said the goal of school choice is to give parents flexibility.

“Every child is different,” Roberson said. “The idea is to put this power in parents’ hands and give them the opportunity to do what’s best for their child.” 

Roberson described education as “the civil rights issue of our time,” arguing that letting public funds follow the student could help more children access specialized schools. 

“I’ve had two children with dyslexia, and we’ve had to struggle to find places that would help them, and we’ve had really good outcomes when we actually got the help that we needed,” Roberson said. “My 15-year-old started at a particular school and was able to get the dyslexia training he needed, and he is an A/B student now, so I’m very excited about the potential of letting every parent have that potential.” 

For Bush, access to the scholarship and a specialized school gave her daughter the chance to thrive. She said her daughter is proof of what’s possible when children with dyslexia receive the right support at the right time. 

“If I had to go back and do it all again, I would not hesitate one bit,” Bush said. “It was life-changing, really.” 

This coverage is supported by a grant from Press Forward Mississippi, part of a nationwide philanthropic effort to reinvigorate local news.