Special education in Mississippi

What Mississippi calls special education, how long each step takes, who to call, free help, paying for services, and how the state scores.

Special education in Mississippi

Special education is called

Special Education

The IEP meeting

IEP Committee meeting

Eligibility team

MET (Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team)

Evaluation timeline

60 calendar days. From consent; team meets within 14 calendar days of a request to decide whether to evaluate (7 Miss. Code R. 34:300.301)

IEP timeline

30 days (federal)

Transition planning starts

14 (being checked)

Rights transfer to the student at

21 (Mississippi age of majority; being checked in MDE rule)

Developmental delay category

3 to 9 (child count)

Dyslexia law

yes: Miss. Code 37-173-15: dyslexia screening in spring of K and fall of grade 1

Find your district and schools

152 districts and charter districts. 12 special education schools and 10 public charter schools.

Get your Hall Pass Schools in Mississippi Services for children in Mississippi (on Disability Atlas)

The state office and your options when you disagree

State special education office

Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Special Education (601) 359-3498

Procedural safeguards (your rights notice)

Read the state's notice

Mediation

Ask for mediation

State complaint

File a state complaint

Due process

Ask for a due process hearing

Free help for families

Parent centers

Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities
Parent Training and Information Center (PTI), Jackson
(601) 969-0601

Disability rights agency

Disability Rights Mississippi
Protection and Advocacy Agency, Jackson
(601) 968-0600

Advocacy groups in Mississippi

Paying for it

Medicaid for children

Mississippi Medicaid

CHIP

Mississippi CHIP

Apply

Apply for coverage

Medicaid for children with disabilities, whatever the family's income

yes: Disabled Children Living at Home (TEFRA)

Schools bill Medicaid for health services

Autism insurance law

yes. caps not listed

Scholarship or ESA for students with disabilities

SWD-specific: Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs ESA; Nate Rogers Scholarship for Students with Disabilities; Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship; Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship

How school, Medicaid and insurance fit together

How Mississippi scores

First edition. These grades are new (November 2026) and the weights may still change. Texas graduation data is being confirmed with the state.

State of Schools

C-

Rank 33 of 51

State of Support

Rank 51 of 51

Combined

Rank 51 of 51

Pillar	Grade
Following the law	D
Learning together	C
Results	C
School funding	D
Family protections	C
Options and transition	C+

IDEA determination 2026: Needs Assistance (2 or more years). How we grade.

Sources for this page are listed in the SPED Atlas research tables (state terms, state help, paying for it). Items marked "being checked" are waiting on a primary source.

Last reviewed: November 2026. Rules, programs and phone numbers change. Check with the office named on this page. Report outdated or wrong information.