SR1 CPSA adds fourth grade for 2026-27

SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy will expand to fourth grade in the 2026-27 school year as the Canton, Mississippi charter school continues annual grade-level growth. The move follows strong reading results, including 88% of third graders meeting state ELA standards on the first try, and keeps the school on track to add fifth grade in 2027-28.

Why it matters: - SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy is widening access to its tuition-free STEM and college-prep model for more Central Mississippi families. - The expansion signals sustained demand and keeps students on a path from kindergarten through elementary grades inside Mississippi's only STEM-focused college preparatory charter school. - Strong early reading results suggest the school is scaling while maintaining academic performance.

What happened: - SR1 CPSA will add fourth grade for the 2026-2027 school year. - The school is based in Canton, Mississippi. - Enrollment remains open through July 30. - Families can apply, schedule a tour or learn more at sr1cpsa.org or by emailing enrollment@sr1cpsa.org.

The details: - SR1 CPSA has expanded one grade level each year since opening. - Third-grade scholars posted an 88% first-try pass rate on Mississippi English Language Arts reading standards. - That result topped every charter school in Mississippi. - The third-grade reading performance exceeded the 2025 statewide average by nearly 13 percentage points. - Sixty-nine percent of kindergartners finished the year reading at or above benchmark. - The school serves kindergarten through third grade now and will add fourth grade in 2026-2027. - Dorlisa Hutton, vice president of SR1 CPSA, said the school adds one grade each year only when scholars are ready, families are with the school and results show the model works. - Hutton said SR1 CPSA plans to add fifth grade beginning in the 2027-28 school year. - SR1 CPSA integrates science, technology, engineering and mathematics into a college-preparatory curriculum beginning in kindergarten. - The school uses small class sizes, individualized instruction and hands-on learning to build literacy, leadership and critical thinking skills.

Between the lines: - The fourth-grade launch looks less like rapid expansion and more like a staged growth strategy tied to outcomes. - The school is using reading data to argue that STEM instruction and college prep can coexist with strong early literacy results. - The planned fifth-grade addition suggests SR1 CPSA is building a longer feeder path for families who want to stay in the school beyond the early grades. - Mississippi's only STEM-focused college preparatory charter school is positioning itself as both a niche option and a proof point for charter-school performance.

What's next: - SR1 CPSA will welcome fourth graders in the 2026-2027 school year. - The school expects to add fifth grade in 2027-28 if the current growth pattern continues. - Enrollment activity will continue until July 30 for families interested in the next school year. - SR1 CPSA will keep emphasizing academics, character development and STEM-based instruction as it grows.

The bottom line: - SR1 CPSA is expanding carefully, and its next grade-level step is backed by strong early literacy numbers and a plan to keep growing one grade at a time.