Original Research by School Decision on Sr1 College Prep & Stem Academy
SR1 College Prep and STEM Academy is a newly opened public charter school in Canton, Mississippi, serving kindergarten and first grade. It opened in the fall of 2023 as, by its own publicly reported account, Mississippi's first public STEM charter school, with stated plans to grow through fifth grade over time. The school sits on South Union Street, in the heart of a city whose identity is tied to its historic courthouse square, its blues heritage, and a large Nissan automotive assembly plant just outside the southwest city limits.
The enrollment here is very small, as one would expect for a charter school in its first or second year of operation serving only the earliest grades. The student body is predominantly Black, reflecting the surrounding community. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education services, and English learner status was not available, so those dimensions of the school's student support picture cannot be characterized here. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it identifies and serves students with specialized needs at these early grade levels.
Because SR1 serves only kindergarten and first grade, there is no state assessment data to report. Mississippi does not test students at these grade levels, so the absence of proficiency results reflects the school's grade band, not a gap in performance. The same logic applies to graduation rates, Advanced Placement, dual credit, and career pathway measures: none of these apply to a school serving only early elementary students. The academic picture at this stage is necessarily about mission and approach rather than tested outcomes. The school's stated focus is college preparatory and STEM education, and its publicly reported materials emphasize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as the organizing frame for instruction even at the youngest grades.
Canton itself is the county seat of Madison County, situated in the northern part of the Jackson metropolitan area. The city centers on a historic courthouse square listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with commercial and civic life concentrated downtown rather than spread across the city. The east side features a substantial historic residential district. A renovated Illinois Central Railroad Depot houses a railway museum and the Chamber of Commerce, and the Multicultural Center and Museum occupies the historic Maloney Building. Canton has a documented blues history, with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker honoring Elmore James on Hickory Street, and the city draws visitors for its bi-annual flea market and a Victorian Christmas Festival. The population has declined modestly over recent decades, and the neighboring city of Gluckstadt to the south may represent some suburban growth pressure. The Nissan plant is the dominant industrial anchor and major employer, with city government, county government, and the Canton Public School District also serving as significant public-sector employers.
For families considering housing, Canton's home values sit above the Mississippi state benchmark but remain well below the national figure. Rents are modest relative to many metropolitan areas. Current mortgage rates hover in the mid-six-percent range, and the national unemployment rate has held steady in the low fours.
SR1 operates as its own independent charter district, separate from the Canton Public School District that serves the broader city. No data on staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, course access, or civil rights indicators was available for this school, so those aspects of the school environment cannot be described here. A parent weighing this option would be choosing a very new, very small, mission-driven early elementary program with a STEM focus, embedded in a historic small city with deep cultural roots and an industrial economic anchor. The school's growth trajectory over the coming years, as it adds grades and builds out its program, will tell more about its academic outcomes.
See more original research from School Decision →