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.
State Data Definitions
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in a Licensed Childcare Program in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds enrolled in a licensed childcare program in May 2024 was obtained primarily from a report generated by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The report contained an entry for the number of four-year-olds enrolled at each licensed childcare center in May 2024. The numbers are self-reported by center administrators at the time of initial licensure or licensure renewal. Licensure is valid for one calendar year from the date of issue unless it is a temporary license, in which case it is valid for six months. As a result, the enrollment of four-year-old children could date to May 2023 or the enrollment could be current as of May 2024 and remain unchanged until May 2025. In cases where centers begin operations for the first time, enrollment reported at the time of licensure would be a capacity estimate submitted to MSDH.
Total
Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Head Start in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds1 enrolled at each Head Start location in 2023-2024 came from multiple sources. Our primary source of data was MSDH licensure data submitted by Head Start grantees. While this was our most comprehensive data source, it did not include information about Head Start programs located on public school campuses. To gain a complete picture of this dataset, we used two additional sources to create and verify Head Start enrollment figures, including data collected directly from grantees and data from the Mississippi Office of Head Start Collaboration (OHSC). Additionally, we used the data provided by OHSC to identify all centers operating in the 2023-2024 school year.
1 See Note on Specific Populations
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in School District Pre-K in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in school district pre-K programs2 in 2023-2024 came primarily from the District and School Data tool created by the Mississippi Department of Education. Additionally, we used the 2024 Spring Pre-K Assessment report to create district enrollment figures for the Monroe Early Learning Collaborative (Aberdeen School District, Amory School District, and Monroe County School District), where we assigned enrollment based on the location of students in the early learning collaborative to each district. We found this to be a reliable source of enrollment data because “[a]ll four-year-old students participating in grant-funded programs and public prekindergarten shall be administered the state-approved Literacy/Math Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.”3
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Blended Pre-K in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in blended pre-K programs came from multiple sources in 2023-2024. Mississippi First used multiple methods to identify jointly operated programs, as this is not a category tracked by any single agency or organization. We directly surveyed Head Start grantees and reviewed grantee documentation to determine whether they operated blended programs. When grantees could not be reached, we compared site names and addresses to verify the existence of blended pre-K sites. This approach may result in discrepancies, as some Head Start programs operate independent classrooms on school sites. We also cross-referenced identified blended sites with our previous report to confirm program classification. For one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.) we relied on data from HSCO to determine whether sites were blended. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start.
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Public Childcare in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in public childcare programs in 2023-2024 was obtained from MDE’s 2024 Spring Pre-K assessment report. Public childcare seats are childcare seats subsidized by the state’s early learning collaboratives. In one instance, Kids World in Marshall County, we included a childcare program that was not part of an early learning collaborative program, but was jointly operated with Head Start.
Total Number and Percentage of Pre-K Seats in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds enrolled in pre-K in Mississippi was calculated by combining the total number of four-year-olds enrolled in Head Start programs, school district programs, blended pre-K programs, and childcare programs from 2023-2024. The total number of pre-K seats can be found on the county dashboard.
Total Number and Percentage of Public Pre-K Seats in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds enrolled in public pre-K seats in Mississippi was calculated by combining the total number of fouryear-olds enrolled in public programs (i.e. Head Start, school district, blended pre-K, and public childcare programs) in 2023-2024. The total number of public pre-K seats can be found on the school district dashboard.
2 See Note on Specific Populations
3 See the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year-Old Children (2025) at https://mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2025/08/EarlyChildhood-Early-Learning-Guidelines-for-Classrooms-Serving-Three-and-Four-Year-Old-Children-8-21-25-clean.pdf
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds (State)
To estimate the number of four-year-olds in Mississippi each year, we used population data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census typically reports unbridged age data in broad age bands (e.g., “under five”). Because of this, single-year age counts are generated as statistical estimates based on intercensal data and reflect the estimated population as of July 1 each year. For this report, the Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with population counts by single year of age and county for all children ages four and under. These data come from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates results from the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. We use the population estimate from 2023, the year leading into a child’s pre-K year. The Census does not publish error estimates for this dataset but notes that small population groups “have the most potential for error.” To calculate the statewide number of four-year-olds, we sum the counts across all counties.
Total Number of Children Enrolled in Kindergarten (2024-2025)
This data was obtained from the District and School Data tool on the Mississippi Department of Education’s website. In the case of Midtown Public Charter School, we contacted the school directly to determine its kindergarten enrollment. The number represents all the students by district (traditional and charter) enrolled in kindergarten in 2024-2025 who were not in self-contained special education classrooms. We used 2024-2025 kindergarten enrollment data because it captures information about the 2023-2024 pre-K cohort. The total number of children enrolled in Kindergarten is used to calculate access rates in the school district dashboard.
Note on Specific Populations
We do not include enrollment figures for special education-only programs in any of our school district numbers. This is for several reasons. These counts do not always represent full-week, classroom-based services. These seats can fluctuate year to year based on the actual number of children a district is required to serve and may not be an accurate representation of generally available pre-K programs. Although access to special education-only pre-K is sometimes access to full-week, classroom-based pre-K, regular education pre-K seats best represent access to pre-K as they are available to all children regardless of disability status and always mean classroom-based pre-K. Finally, because special education populations are small, special education-only program numbers are often suppressed, making it hard to know exactly how many children are served. Additionally, we do not include figures for the Head Start programs operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians because these seats are reserved for a specific population of children. Additionally, many of these children later attend Choctaw Tribal Schools and are not included in the Mississippi Department of Education’s kindergarten data.
County Data Definitions
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds (County)
To estimate the number of four-year-olds in Mississippi each year, we used population data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census typically reports unbridged age data in broad age bands (e.g., “under five”). Because of this, single-year age counts are generated as statistical estimates based on intercensal data and reflect the estimated population as of July 1 each year. For this report, the Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with population counts by single year of age and county for all children ages four and under. These data come from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates results from the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. We use the population estimate from 2023, the year leading into a child’s pre-K year. The Census does not publish error estimates for this dataset but notes that small population groups “have the most potential for error.”
Total Pre-K Seats (County)
Total pre-K seats is the sum of school district, blended pre-K, Head Start, and licensed childcare (including any “public” childcare) enrollments for four-year-old children in a county in 2023-2024. This number includes all collaborative pre-K program enrollments as well. Please note that it reflects pre-K enrollment, not capacity.
Pre-K Access Rate for Four-Year-Olds (County)
Number of Children by Provider Type
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds
Access to pre-K for four-year-olds in 2023-2024 by county is represented in the county dashboard. This graphic displays countywide data, and because the underlying data points are estimates, the access rates in the dashboard should also be understood as estimates. Each percentage presented uses as its numerator one of the data points described below and as the denominator the estimated number of four-year-olds in the county (referenced previously).
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Licensed Childcare. This data reflects the total number and percentage of four-year-olds enrolled in licensed childcare programs in each county. We obtained this data primarily from a report generated by the MSDH, which compiled the number of all four-year-old children by center. The report contained an entry for each licensed childcare center in May 2024. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Head Start. This data reflects the total enrollment and percentage of four-year-olds4 at Head Start centers in each county. The total number of four-year-olds enrolled at each Head Start location in 2023-2024 came from multiple sources. Our primary source of data was MSDH licensure data submitted by Head Start grantees. While this was our most comprehensive data source, it did not include information about Head Start programs located on public school campuses. To gain a complete picture of this dataset, we used two additional sources to create and verify Head Start enrollment figures, including data collected directly from grantees and data from the Mississippi Office of Head Start Collaboration (OHSC). Additionally, we used the data provided by OHSC to identify all centers operating in the 2023-2024 school year. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
4 See Note on Special Populations
Total Number and Percentage of Children in School District Pre-K. This data reflects the number and percentage of children enrolled when combining data from every school district program in the county. This data does not include children in school district programs exclusively designed to serve children with disabilities;5 however, these counts do include children with disabilities enrolled in regular education programs. The number of seats from each school district in the county is from MDE’s District and School Data tool, with adjustments for blended pre-K (see below). Please note that, unlike in the past, special education enrollments are now disaggregated from general education pre-K enrollments in the District and School Data tool on MDE’s website. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Blended Pre-K. This data reflects the number and percentage of children served in programs jointly funded by a school district and a Head Start partner in each county. The total number of children enrolled in blended pre-K programs came from multiple sources in 2023-2024. Mississippi First used multiple methods to identify jointly operated programs, as this is not a category tracked by any single agency or organization. We directly surveyed Head Start grantees and reviewed grantee documentation to determine whether they operated blended programs. When grantees could not be reached, we compared site names and addresses to verify the existence of blended pre-K sites. This approach may result in discrepancies, as some Head Start programs operate independent classrooms on school sites. We also cross-referenced identified blended sites with our previous report to confirm program classification. For one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.) we relied on data from HSCO to determine whether sites were blended. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Pre-K. This data reflects the total number and percentage of children enrolled in school district, Head Start, childcare, and blended pre-K programs serving four-year-olds in each respective county. This total number can be found in the sentence of the county dashboard. The percentage can be found below the Total Seats of the county dashboard.
5 See Note on Specific Populations
School District Data Definitions
Public Pre-K Access for 2024-2025 Kindergarteners by School District
Number of Children by Provider Type
Estimated Number of Kindergar teners in School Distric ts
Access to public pre-K for 2024-2025 kindergarteners by school district is represented in the school district dashboard. Because the pre-K enrollment data points are estimates, the resulting access rates presented in the dashboard should also be understood as estimates. The data include students served in full-week, classroom-based programs that are not exclusively for students with disabilities. Each percentage presented uses as its numerator one of the data points described below and as the denominator the estimated number of kindergarteners enrolled in each school district in the 2024-2025 school year.
For school districts that contain charter elementary schools within their geographic boundaries, we included the number of kindergarteners enrolled in those charter schools in the traditional district’s total kindergarten count. Although charter schools may enroll students from multiple districts because state law allows students from C-, D-, or F-rated districts to cross district lines, the vast majority of charter students come from within the geographic boundaries of the district where the charter school is located. As a result, this approach introduces the slight potential for data discrepancies in the access rates for school districts with or near charter schools serving kindergarteners; however, the overall impact is minimal given current enrollment patterns.
Total Number and Percentage of Children Who Transitioned to District from Head Start (2024-2025). This data reflects the number of 2024-2025 kindergarteners in each school district that we estimate attended Head Start in 2023-2024.6 In the past, Mississippi First had exact transition data from Head Start centers (data documenting where children matriculated after Head Start), and we found that nearly all students transitioned to the public kindergarten in the district where their Head Start center was located. As a result, for single-district counties, we use Head Start seat counts from 2023-2024 to estimate how many Head Start seats were available to 2024-2025 kindergarteners from those districts. For multiple-district counties, we assume that students would transition to the school district where the Head Start center was located. We urge readers to view these numbers as estimates and interpret them with caution, especially on an individual school district level. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in School District Pre-K (2023-2024). This data reflects the number of children in each school district enrolled in that district’s pre-K program in 2023-2024. This data does not include children in school district programs exclusively designed to serve children with disabilities;7 however, these counts do include children with disabilities enrolled in regular education programs. The number of seats in districts is from MDE’s District and School Data tool, with adjustments for blended pre-K (see below). Please note that, unlike in the past, special education enrollments are now disaggregated from general education pre-K enrollments in the District and School Data tool on MDE’s website.
Total Number and Percentage of Blended Pre-K Seats (2023-2024). The total number of children enrolled in blended pre-K programs came from multiple sources in 2023-2024. Mississippi First used multiple methods to identify jointly operated programs, as this is not a category tracked by any single agency or organization. We directly surveyed Head Start grantees and reviewed grantee documentation to determine whether they operated blended programs. When grantees could not be reached,
6 See Note on Specific Populations
7 See Note on Specific Populations
we compared site names and addresses to verify the existence of blended pre-K sites. This approach may result in discrepancies, as some Head Start programs operate independent classrooms on school sites. We also cross-referenced identified blended sites with our previous report to confirm program classification. For one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.) we relied on data from HSCO to determine whether sites were blended. In many cases, we also directly contacted school district personnel to verify our information.
We removed all blended pre-K numbers from both the district counts and the Head Start counts and placed them in their own category—blended pre-K. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start. For additional information, see our forthcoming Access and Data brief.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Public Childcare (2023-2024). This data reflects the number of children enrolled in public childcare programs in 2023-2024. Public childcare seats are subsidized by the state’s early learning collaboratives. In one instance, Kids World in Marshall County, we included a childcare program that was not part of an early learning collaborative program, but was partnered with Head Start.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Public Pre-K. This data uses as its numerator the total number of children enrolled in public pre-K in each school district. The total number can be found in the sentence of the county dashboard. The percentage can be found below the Total Public Seats of the school district dashboard.
Sources
This section provides further information about sources, especially those that are not publicly available or those that are similar. Sources that need no further explanation are merely cited.
Data from the Mississippi Department of Education
2024 Spring Pre-K Assessment Data
This data is reported on the MDE Office of Public Reporting’s 2024 Student Assessment website in a report titled “Spring 2024 PreKindergarten Readiness Assessment Results for Early Learning Collaboratives and Other Four-Year-Old Classrooms.” It reflects the number of children enrolled in a district or collaborative pre-K program who participated in the spring 2024 state pre-K assessment. District numbers are summarized and reported by school. Collaborative numbers are summarized and reported by site, including nondistrict sites. We found this to be a reliable source of enrollment data because “[a]ll four-year-old students participating in grant-funded programs and public prekindergarten shall be administered the state-approved Literacy/Math Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.”8
MDE Enrollment Data, 2023-2024 Pre-Kindergarten and 2024-2025 Kindergarten
This data is reported on the MDE Office of Public Reporting’s School and District Data website. Data can be downloaded by school year and grade for each school district in the state.
Data from the Office of Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Head Start Collaboration
Head Start Grantee Enrollment Data
This data was obtained from the Program Information Report (PIR) that the Office of Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collects each year. Enrollments are reported in aggregate for each grant a grantee receives. The PIR in a given year is based on prior year data, i.e., the 2024 PIR is based on data from the 2023-2024 school year.
Head Start Center Funded Slots Data
This data was obtained from the Office of Head Start Collaboration. This data set provided information about funded slots, which is the maximum number of children that can be served, at each center for every Head Start grantee in the state as of March 2024. Since this data is capacity data, we used it sparingly to fill in seats in cases where we could not get a response from the Head Start grantee.
Head Start Grantee Survey Data
This data was collected by Mississippi First in a direct survey of Head Start grantees in August to September 2025. The survey was sent to executive directors or the appropriate enrollment personnel at each Head Start grantee except Coahoma Opportunities, Inc., Bolivar Community Action Agency, Pearl River Valley Opportunity, Inc., and Picayune School District, which had a full dataset from MSDH and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw (See Note on Special Populations). The survey asked each grantee to provide the number of four-year-olds enrolled at each site and to identify any blended classrooms operating. Of the state’s fifteen Head Start grantees, ten were surveyed for additional information. Of the ten surveyed, five grantees responded to provide information. The responses are self-reported and reflect information about the grantee.
8 See the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year-Old Children (2025) at https://mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2025/08/EarlyChildhood-Early-Learning-Guidelines-for-Classrooms-Serving-Three-and-Four-Year-Old-Children-8-21-25-clean.pdf
Data from the Mississippi State Department of Health Childcare Licensure Data
This data was compiled by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) from enrollments submitted by childcare centers at the time of licensure. The report contained an entry for each licensed childcare center in May 2024. Mississippi First requested an Excel workbook of the number of all four-year-old children by center during the 2023-2024 school year. The enrollment figures are selfreported by center administrators at the time of initial licensure or licensure renewal. Licensure is valid for one calendar year from the date of issue unless it is a temporary license, in which case it is valid for six months. As a result, the enrollment of four-year-old children could date to May 2023 or the enrollment could be current as of May 2024 and remain unchanged until May 2025. Please interpret these numbers with caution. In the childcare appendix of our forthcoming brief, all information is drawn from the MSDH-compiled report. In the Head Start appendix of our forthcoming brief, all information drawn from the MSDH-compiled report is labeled “MSDH.”
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau
Census Data on the Population of Four-Year-Old Children
The U.S. Census Bureau normally reports age data in age groups (e.g., under five). To verify the number of four-year-olds in the state, we requested single-year estimates by county. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with a spreadsheet titled “Vintage Population Estimates 2022” with counts by age for all children ages four and under. The data set represents a tabulation from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates the results of the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. Please note that using data on the county level, or any small population group, has the most potential for error. However, the margins of error for the data were not reported by the Census.
Table 2. Public Four-Year-Old Enrollment by Provider Type by School District
Numbers in red are capacity estimates. We used capacity estimates provided by the OHSC in cases where we could not find actual enrollment data. Enrollment data represents an estimate of the number of children served, while capacity data represents the number of children Head Start grantees were funded to serve. See the State Head Start Data Definition for more information.