LUMBERTON — A one-room schoolhouse opening this August is offering a faith-based, agriculture-centered alternative to public education — and positioning itself for Mississippi’s evolving school choice landscape. 

Faithful Farms will officially open its doors Aug. 4 with plans to enroll up to 20 students ranging in age and grade level. The school offers another option for families seeking smaller class sizes, faith-based learning and hands-on agricultural experience and is part of a growing movement of small, independent microschools emerging across the Magnolia State. 

The model reflects one side of a larger statewide conversation. As debates continue over school choice legislation, supporters argue families deserve more flexibility — while critics warn alternatives lacking accreditation or oversight may divert resources from public schools. 

Weighing education options 

Founder Trannie Tucker, a former public school teacher, said she aims to fill gaps she believes exist in the current public model. 

“We need another outlet for education,” Tucker said. “The system is becoming broken in public schools … it’s not working.” 

While Tucker’s comments reflect frustrations shared by some parents, public school advocates argue broad claims about the system’s failure require context.  

Mississippi’s public school system serves more than 400,000 students and is staffed by state-certified educators and required by federal law to provide transportation and individualized support for students with disabilities.  

In touting improved outcomes, the state Department of Education reported a record 89.4% high school graduation rate in 2024 — up more than 5% in six years. Locally, Forrest County and Petal school districts ranked at the top of the list with 99% and 98% graduation rates, respectively. 

Advocates also point out public schools’ performance grades, which are based on achievement, growth and other accountability standards — with more than 85% of schools and 94% of districts receiving a grade of “C” or higher in the most recent cycle. 

Local solutions for local needs 

Tucker said Faithful Farms emerged in response to concerns raised by local families — especially those with children who struggle in traditional classrooms. 

Just hours after deciding not to return to her public school work, Tucker visited Hattiesburg’s Triple T Feed and Seed, where co-owner Beth Tucker, no relation to Trannie Tucker, asked if she could help teach her son, who is living with a mental health condition. 

“He just doesn’t fit in with the other kids,” the feed store co-owner said. “It takes smaller classes, and he still gets picked on a lot. I wanted to send him to where he would feel comfortable, where he could thrive, where he could learn.” 

She said her son does not qualify for a full-time special education program at nearby public schools — and other local options are limited. 

“The school’s still trying to find somewhere to put him, but there’s just not anything available,” she said. “I feel like maybe Ms. Trannie is going to have that place for him.” 

Public schools are legally required to provide services for students with disabilities, but in smaller districts, parents and disability rights advocates often cite resource limitations. According to federal data, Mississippi’s graduation rate for students with disabilities is roughly 65%, compared to the statewide average of 89%. 

Jamie Humphrey said he also plans to enroll his two children at Faithful Farms this fall. 

“We felt like that a smaller school setting, less students … that the kids would get a better education,” Humphrey said. “The main reason we chose this one is that it is a faith-based school.” 

His daughter, 7-year-old Ansley, is most excited about the farm animals. 

“I want to learn about how you plant flowers and see the horses and train them,” she said. 

Blending agriculture, faith and individualized learning 

Trannie Tucker said Faithful Farms is designed to support students at their level, regardless of grade, by combining multiple ages in one classroom — a model she said encourages mentorship, cooperation and flexibility. 

“There’s so much to learn when you have different age groups together,” she said. “Your kindergartners, when they begin to learn to read, can read to your older kids. Your older kids can teach and work with your younger kids.” 

The school’s curriculum includes Christian-based education materials: Abeka for kindergartners and Master Books for grades one through three. Other grade levels will be accommodated case by case. In addition to core academics and Bible studies, students will gain hands-on experience in agriculture — including beekeeping, crop planting and livestock care. 

Faithful Farms currently has ponies and a cow on site, with plans to expand to pigs and chickens and to eventually develop and nurture beehives. 

The school’s leader said the goal is to teach children where their food comes from and how it connects to faith. 

Students will also participate in community service activities, such as reading at nursing homes and helping at local food banks, she added. 

Poised for Mississippi’s school choice expansion 

Faithful Farms is supported by Embark, a program by the nonprofit advocacy organization Empower Mississippi that helps launch new schools in anticipation of expanded school choice legislation. 

Empower Mississippi also plays a broader political role, advocating for policies that would allow public education funds to follow students to private schools. 

Elyse Marcellino, Embark’s director, said the program has helped launch three charter schools and more than 20 microschools in Mississippi since 2022.  

“Obviously, school choice legislation would be beneficial for microschool founders as they want to serve more students, and those students having more choice on where they want to go would absolutely help them,” Marcellino said. “But right now, we’re finding that folks are still seeing that the need in their communities is so great, or the desire for new education options is so great, that they are still wanting to go out and launch these and figure out ways to creatively adapt them to their communities and make them as affordable as possible.” 

A broader debate 

School choice has been a point of heated debate in Mississippi. Supporters argue it gives families more freedom, especially those in struggling districts. Critics warn it could redirect critical funding away from public schools and create a two-tiered education system. 

Officials at The Parents’ Campaign, a nonprofit that advocates for Mississippi’s public schools, have expressed concern that some voucher-funded or private school programs lack the oversight required in public education. 

Nancy Loome, the campaign’s executive director, called such efforts a “trojan horse to divert public funds to private schools” in a February opinion piece she penned for The DeSoto County News. 

“The private school gets the entire donation, with no accountability to the public who is footing the bill, while the state revenue available to fund our public schools and other public services is diminished,” she wrote. 

During the most recent legislative session, the Mississippi House of Representatives considered seven school choice-related bills — none of which passed. However, House Speaker Jason White said in May that the House would create a new Select Committee on Education Freedom to focus on future school choice efforts. 

“We have regions of our state where there are chronically failing schools through no fault of the kids, and in most cases, no fault to the parents,” White told The Clarion-Ledger. 

While Mississippi does not currently require accreditation for private schools unless they receive public funds, Trannie Tucker said she is building the school with future accreditation in mind — preparing for a time when state funding may follow students, even if they leave public schools. 

“When the bill does pass … of ‘the money follows the child’ … we’re gonna be able to then get accredited under whatever level of accreditation they have set up for that,” she said. 

According to EdWeek, all states bordering Mississippi already offer at least one universal school choice program. 

Next steps 

Faithful Farms will host an open house in early July to give families a preview of the school’s offerings. The school’s founder said sees it not just as a new school but as part of a necessary shift in how education is delivered. 

“Some people are great with public school, but not all kids are,” she said. “There are a lot of children on the spectrum … that much socialization is hard for them. 

“(Public education) has gotten too big. No matter what system and what program we come up with, mass education — that’s just hard.”