GULFPORT — Once rare, “microschools” are spreading across Mississippi — about 50 have opened since 2020 — as lawmakers consider whether to expand public funding for alternatives to traditional classrooms. 

The surge comes amid talks of school choice under the Capitol dome. Supporters see specialized schools as a lifeline for families seeking personalized education while critics warn expansion could strain the state budget and redirect money from already under-resourced public schools. 

Microschool models vary. Some operate as centralized homeschool programs, while others, like Gulf Coast Education Solutions in Gulfport, are nonpublic schools with a specialized focus. 

 Part of the debate ahead of the next legislative session is deciding which models would qualify for funding and what standards they would have to meet.

Inside a Gulfport microschool 

At Gulf Coast Education Solutions, the day is designed around small-group learning and one-on-one check-ins — a setup founder Angel Jones said is built to support students who were falling behind in larger classrooms. 

“Our mission is to provide an alternative,” Jones said. “Most of our students here have tried going through public school systems, through other private school systems, and they just need something that’s a lot more individualized.” 

The school serves 20 students ages 6 to 18, 16 of whom have a disability or special education need. Gulf Coast Education Solutions is unaccredited, which Jones said allows its three certified teachers — all trained in dyslexia therapy — to freely adapt lessons in reading, language, math, science and history to students’ needs. 

Student progress is tracked through assessments and report cards, but Jones said parent feedback is one of the strongest measures of success. 

Families find new options 

“I always say the parent knows their child best,” Jones said. “They know what works for them and what doesn’t, and so they’re an invaluable resource when you’re trying to develop an individualized plan for that child.” 

That close communication is what Judy Cowart was looking for when her daughter started struggling in public school.

“When my daughter Abbigail was 9 years old, we got a diagnosis of autism, cognitive impairment and dyslexia,” she said. “The public school was not too kind to us … so we found this school, and she just started excelling.” 

Now 15, Abbigail said the school’s smaller setting and multiage classroom make a difference. 

“You don’t really learn much in public school, but when you’re here, you learn way more — your brain starts clicking,” she said. “Everybody brings everybody up.” 

Parent Brittany Buchanan also turned to Gulf Coast Education Solutions for her children, who began in the schools’ on-site therapy clinic before moving into the classroom. 

“(My daughter is) actually excited to come to school,” Buchanan said. “It’s huge, and I couldn’t tell you that I could provide that (without outside support) — especially having multiple children.” 

Debate ahead of the next session 

For families like the Cowarts and the Buchanans, tuition is made possible through Mississippi’s current Educator Scholarship Accounts, or ESAs, which supports students with active individualized education programs provided by public schools. 

Now lawmakers are debating whether to expand who qualifies for ESAs and where the money can be used — potentially opening programs like Gulf Coast Education Solutions to more families. 

Two bills failed last session: one that would have allowed students in D- and F-rated districts to use public funds at other schools, and another that would have broadened eligibility for special-needs ESAs. 

House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson said legislators want to give families more options but must balance flexibility with oversight. 

“We have got to take these regulatory (items) and all of the testing and all of the things that we’ve done to our public school system and free them of that,” he said. “I think that giving public schools, private schools — these specialty schools — the opportunity to compete in a marketplace for what’s best for these children … is the beauty of this.” 

He said universal expansion appears unlikely in the near future because of cost. 

“It’s awfully expensive to open this up to the masses at this point — a minimum of an additional $300 million more dollars just to cover the people that are already in private schools,” he said. 

At a Sept. 25 House Education Freedom Select Committee hearing, supporters argued school choice gives families more freedom, especially those in struggling districts. Critics warned it could siphon money from public schools and create a two-tiered system. 

Kim Wiley, an education policy analyst with the Mississippi Center for Justice, pointed to Arizona as a cautionary tale. Rapid ESA expansion there led to a steep budget deficit and concern over misuse of state funds. She urged Mississippi lawmakers to set testing, reporting and fiscal standards if the program expands.

School-choice advocate Erika Donalds pointed to Florida’s ESA program, which she said created competitive pressure that improved public schools and spurred alternative providers. Florida also requires standardized testing, which she cited as accountability. 

Early talk on standards, accountability 

Under Mississippi’s current ESA program, participating schools must submit assessments of academic performance. Roberson said guidelines to ensure student safety and prevent fraud will be necessary under any new legislation, though lawmakers are “leaving everything on the table.” 

Roberson said parents will play a central role in holding schools accountable in a future of expanded school choice.

Jones said Gulf Coast Education Solutions works to ensure parents have more control and educators have freedom to do what’s best for their students. While she supports regular assessments of academic progress, she feels her microschool should remain primarily accountable to parents — not the state. 

“I feel like the families know when their kids are learning and when they’re not,” she said. “I feel like as long as I’m accountable to the parents, and I can show the progress, I don’t need to be accountable to anybody else.” 

As lawmakers craft recommendations for the next session, Roberson said any House legislation would aim to give parents more decision-making power — and that microschools could be one of the options available. 

“I think that we need to be embracing those types of things. Some kids do better in that model. If we’re truly centered around what’s best for the child, then that’s got to be a part of how we approach this,” he said. 

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