Mississippi First Releases 2023 Public Perception of Charter Schools Survey Findings

Jackson, Mississippi—Mississippi First is pleased to announce the release of the 2023 Public Perception of Charter Schools survey report, which provides critical insights into public understanding and support of charter schools in Mississippi. This comprehensive survey was conducted by the Survey Research Lab (SRL) at Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center.

The survey captured responses from a representative sample of 534 Mississippi public school parents, divided into two groups: non-charter parents and charter parents. This year’s findings highlight evolving perceptions and knowledge about charter schools among these groups.

Key Findings

• Familiarity with Charter Schools
  • The percentage of charter parents “very familiar” with charter schools decreased from 81.8% in 2020 to 73.3% in 2023.
  • Among non-charter parents, those “not at all familiar” with charter schools surged from 27% in 2020 to 46% in 2023.
• Recognition of Charter Schools as Public Schools
  • The percentage of non-charter parents correctly recognizing charter schools as public schools rose from 47.0% to 58.4%.
• Support for Charter Schools
  • Both charter and non-charter parents support charter schools in their communities at high levels, with 93% of charter parents and 70.3% of non-charter parents endorsing charter schools in their communities.
• Access to High-Quality Schools
  • Only 17.1% of charter parents and 9.8% of non-charter parents believe that all children in their communities have access to high-quality schools, indicating a continued need for better public schools in charter-eligible communities statewide.

Additionally, the survey explored charter parent satisfaction with various aspects of charter schools, including individualized instruction, meaningful homework assignments, fair discipline, relationships with school staff, academic progress, and support for students with disabilities or special needs. Parents were also asked to grade their child’s charter school, whether they would recommend it to other families, and indicate their re-enrollment plans for the next academic year.

Executive Director Rachel Canter stated, “This report sheds light on how public school parents in charter communities perceive charter schools. It also provides insight on charter parent satisfaction with their children’s schools. We are hopeful the results of this report will help policymakers better understand how to build charter school awareness and how to support charter schools in improving their services to families.”

High-Level Findings

• Familiarity
  • The percentage of non-charter parents reporting they were “not at all familiar” with charter schools increased from 27% to 46%.
  • Between 2020 and 2023, the percentage of charter parents reporting they were “very familiar” with charter schools decreased from 81.8% to 73.3%.
• Recognition of Charter Schools as Public Schools
  • Among non-charter parents with some knowledge of charter schools, the percentage correctly recognizing charter schools as public schools rose from 47.0% to 58.4%.
• Support for Charter Schools
  • Both charter and non-charter parents support charter schools in their communities at high levels, with 93% of charter parents and 70.3% of non-charter parents endorsing charter schools in their communities.
• Access to High-Quality Schools
  • Only 17.1% of charter parents and 9.8% of non-charter parents believe that all children in their communities have access to high-quality schools, indicating a continued need for better public schools in charter-eligible communities statewide.

Authors

Grace Breazeale
K-12 Policy Associate
Grace Breazeale is the K-12 Policy Associate at Mississippi First. Along with this report, she co-authored Falling Behind: Falling Behind: Teacher Compensation and the Race Against Inflation, Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover, and What We Can Do About It. She also publishes a monthly blog post dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi.