Education Savings Accounts recognize a simple truth: No two students are the same

• Educational freedom is not about rejecting public education. It is about honoring the American belief that individuals flourish when given choice, responsibility, and opportunity.

At Turning Point USA at Mississippi State University, we believe deeply in the ideals that define America: individual responsibility, exceptionalism, and the conviction that every person possesses God-given talents that can be cultivated into a meaningful and productive life. Education is where that process begins — and it is why we support expanding Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and strengthening educational freedom in Mississippi.

America has always thrived when individuals were given room to rise — when people could pursue their interests, develop their abilities, and chart their own path toward success. Yet today, too many students are constrained not by a lack of potential but by systems that limit educational options regardless of individual needs. Two students sitting in the same classroom may have entirely different learning styles, challenges, and aspirations. A one-size-fits-all approach risks overlooking the individuality that has long fueled American progress.

Education Savings Accounts recognize a simple truth: no two students are the same. ESAs allow a portion of a child’s education funding to follow them to approved educational options that best meet their needs — including tutoring, specialized instruction, online coursework, advanced academic programs, private schools, or therapeutic services. Rather than forcing students to adapt to a single system, ESAs allow education to adapt to the student.

The evidence supporting educational choice is compelling, particularly for long-term outcomes. A federally funded evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program — one of the most rigorously studied school choice initiatives in the nation — found that students who received a scholarship graduated from high school at significantly higher rates than their peers. Graduation rates rose from roughly 70% to more than 80% for students offered a voucher, with even larger gains among students who used one. High school graduation is one of the strongest predictors of future employment, potential earnings, and civic engagement, making these gains especially significant.

Beyond individual success, a broad body of research suggests that educational choice can benefit families and the education system. A 2023 summary by the School Choice Demonstration Project reviewed decades of peer-reviewed and quasi-experimental studies on school-choice programs across the country. That research found consistent evidence of higher graduation rates in several programs, increased parental satisfaction, and neutral to modestly positive effects on nearby public schools. A complementary 2025 synthesis from EdChoice also finds that most studies show positive impacts on student attainment, parent satisfaction, and improvements in competitive standing among surrounding public schools. When families are empowered with real options, schools become more responsive to student needs.

Exceptionalism is not inherited. It is cultivated through opportunity, discipline, and the freedom to pursue excellence. ESAs provide families with flexibility to seek educational environments that align with their children’s strengths — whether that means additional academic rigor, specialized support, or alternative pathways. For students with learning differences, gifted students seeking greater challenge, or those pursuing STEM fields, skilled trades, the arts, or entrepreneurship, educational freedom can open doors that a single model often cannot.

The American Dream has never been guaranteed. It has always been an opportunity — earned through effort, supported by family, and made possible by access to the right tools. Educational freedom helps ensure Mississippi’s students are not limited by circumstance, income, or geography, but are empowered to pursue their own version of that dream.

Educational freedom is not about rejecting public education. It is about honoring the American belief that individuals flourish when given choice, responsibility, and opportunity. Expanding Education Savings Accounts is not just sound education policy — it is a reaffirmation of the values that have always made America, and Mississippi, exceptional.