Mississippi First | 2025 State of Pre-K Appendix
December 2025 | Page 1
2025 State of Pre-K
DASHBOARD APPENDIX: DEFINITIONS AND SOURCES Overview The data presented in this dashboard reflect a snapshot of enrollment and access during the 2023–2024 school year. We strive to present the most accurate and, where possible, verified data. In some instances, we conducted direct surveys of program administrators and corroborated the information using unconventional data sources, such as the number of students taking the spring pre-K state assessment. Currently, there is no entity that captures pre-K access rates directly. To determine access, we collect enrollment data from all pre-K provider types and compare it to the number of children born in the state four years prior and to students who matriculate into the public school system for kindergarten the following year. While our approaches are not perfect, we have captured data that represents the most reliable and comprehensive data available to estimate public pre-K access and demand. Below, we outline the sources for each data point included in our dashboard. A more thorough examination of these data sources is also incorporated into our forthcoming brief on pre-K access and data, where we provide a look into the arduous task of collecting data to measure pre-K access rates in a landscape with shifting data collection practices and standards. Where relevant, we have additionally described the methods used to verify the information across multiple sources.