Mississippi First has published a new survey, Uncharted Territory: Perceptions of Charter Schools in Mississippi Counties Without Charter Schools, which examines how Mississippians in communities without charter schools view their public school options.
The findings are clear: Even in communities where charter schools are not eligible operate, adults are concerned about the quality of their local public schools and are open to additional high-quality public options. While familiarity with charter schools remains limited, opposition is also low.
Key findings include:
Strong concern about school quality: A majority of respondents believe only some or no children in their community have access to high-quality public schools.
Academic quality and safety drive school choice: These factors far outweigh location, extracurriculars, or alignment with family values.
Broad support for public school choice: Across demographic groups, respondents agree that families should have access to more than one public schoo
