Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

When legislators talk about “school choice” and diverting public dollars to private schools, they often package it as empowering parents. But often overlooked in the conversation is that after years of underfunding and unfair criticism, Mississippi’s public education is seeing measurable success.

According to the latest Kids Count Data Book, Mississippi was ranked 16th in the nation for K-12 education. Our fourth graders have led the nation in reading and math gains on the National Assessment of Educational Progress rankings, and graduation rates have reached historic highs.

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