Mississippi Driver’s Ed Requirements for Schools, 2026-27

What are Mississippi's driver education requirements for public schools?

Under Senate Bill 2695 (2024), now Mississippi Code § 37-25-3, every district with a high school must "establish and maintain" a driver education program starting in 2026-27. Students must be at least 14, enrolled full time, and in grades 9 to 12. They don't need a learner's permit while an instructor supervises them in an approved course.

The law sets no hour minimums. Those come from State Board of Education rules. The last published rule calls for 30 classroom hours and 6 behind-the-wheel hours, with limited simulator credit. Teachers need the Driver Education (114) endorsement. Each student who finishes gets a Certificate of Completion, and the school sends a copy to the Department of Public Safety (DPS). The course isn't a graduation requirement, but from July 1, 2027, it's required for a first license.

Mississippi driver ed requirements at a glance

Print this table or paste it into an email to your principal. Each row gives the rule, where it comes from, and what to do next.

Key dates from 2024 to 2027

• July 1, 2024SB 2695 takes effect. The district duty starts with the 2026-27 school year.
• June 19, 2025The State Board approves a new driver education curriculum rule, Title 7, Part 247.
• September 25, 2025The State Board approves an alternate route to the 114 endorsement.
• July 1, 2026DPS accepts only driver ed taught by DPS- or MDE-certified instructors for hardship licenses. DPS must also offer a program for home school students and adults.
• 2026-27 school yearEvery district with grades 9 to 12 must offer driver ed.
• July 1, 2027First-time license applicants need a certified course, per DPS's mandatory driver's education notice.

Who can enroll, and what students get when they finish

Your course serves students who are 14 or older, in grades 9 to 12, and enrolled full time. Mississippi's learner's permit starts at 15 under § 63-1-9. A 14-year-old in your course can still drive with the instructor, because § 37-25-7 waives the permit during supervised lessons.

Home school students and adults aren't your responsibility under this law. From July 1, 2026, DPS must run its own program for them.

The Certificate of Completion

Each student who finishes gets a Certificate of Completion under § 37-25-8. The school must send a copy to the Driver Service Bureau. That copy matters more than it sounds.

Take a 15-year-old who needs a hardship license to drive to work. Hardship licenses are for ages 15 to 17 who have held a permit for 30 days. DPS says the certificate must come from the student's MDE-certified instructor, and it won't approve the application until it arrives. So name one staff member to send certificates and keep a log.

Why this matters for your students

Young Mississippi drivers crash at a high rate. In 2024, 99 drivers ages 15 to 20 were in fatal crashes in Mississippi, and 55 of them died. That's about 82 per 100,000 licensed drivers that age, roughly twice the national rate of 39, per NHTSA's 2024 young drivers report.

How many hours does Mississippi require for driver ed?

The statute doesn't set hours. Section 37-25-5 says the program "shall include both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel instruction." The State Board sets the details, based on a joint plan from the State Superintendent and the DPS Commissioner.

The last published State Board rule, Rule 29.1 on driver education, requires "a minimum of 30 clock hours of classroom instruction and six hours behind-the-wheel training." Here's what else it allows:

• Simulator for driving time. Simulator time replaces driving "at a 4 - 1 ratio not to exceed three hours substitution." So 12 simulator hours plus 3 driving hours meets the 6-hour rule.
• Simulator for classroom time. "Twelve hours' time in an approved simulator may count as classroom time."
• Driving range. Multi-car range time counts 2 to 1, with prior MDE approval.
• Street minimum. At least 2 hours of on-street driving, "regardless of combination."
• Credit. A half unit, if the course meets the minimum hours and covers a full semester.

Rule 29.1 dates to 2015. Since then, the State Board approved a new curriculum rule in June 2025. MDE has also told reporters its curriculum allows simulation in place of some driving time. Check MDE's current program requirements before you lock in a schedule.

Is it 24 classroom hours or 30?

Some web pages cite 24 classroom hours. That number shows up in a bill draft, but the enacted law has no hour minimum. Use the State Board's number, which is 30 in Rule 29.1, unless MDE tells you otherwise.

Where simulation fits in a Mississippi program

Under Rule 29.1, a student on the simulator option drives 3 hours on the road instead of 6. In exchange, that student spends 12 supervised hours in a simulator. That trade helps when cars or endorsed drivers are short. It hurts when rooms or supervision are short.

The table runs the math for a sample school.

Here's how to read it. The simulator option frees 360 driving hours, which is time your endorsed teacher spends in a car with one student. It adds 1,440 station-hours, which a teacher must supervise. Over a 36-week year, 240 hours per station is about 7 hours a week.

Our view: if your bottleneck is endorsed drivers or cars, the simulator option is worth pricing. If it's room space, start smaller. Either way, every student still drives at least 3 hours on real roads. Simulation complements required instruction. It doesn't replace it.

Two open questions to ask MDE. First, Rule 29.1 credits only a "State approved simulator," and DE-2 is the simulator application, so ask how a system gets approved before you buy. Second, ask whether the same 12 simulator hours can count toward classroom time and driving time at once.

How our Novice Driving Essentials curriculum fits

We built Novice Driving Essentials (NDE) for new drivers in school programs. It starts with a tutorial and pre-assessment. Lessons cover hazard detection, intersections, following distance, distracted driving, parking, and more. It ends with a post-assessment and free drive.

VDI lists about 3 hours of simulation time for those lessons. That's short of Rule 29.1's 12 hours, so you'd plan added practice, such as free drive or repeat lessons. Teachers review Vantage reports on lesson completion, time on task, scores, assessment results, and key driving behaviors. NDE runs on a compact Desktop Series or a self-contained Full Cab Series, both shown on VDI's hardware options page.

Next door in Alabama, one district bought 48 VDI simulators for eight high schools, where about 2,150 students a year finish driver ed.

Who can teach driver ed in a Mississippi public school?

Staffing is where most schools will feel the squeeze. Teachers need the Driver Education (114) endorsement, and MDE's driver education licensure page lists two ways to get it.

Route 1: Add it to a teaching license

A teacher with a valid three- or five-year license completes an approved program. At Mississippi State University, that's 12 semester hours with a C or better. Rule 29.1 also requires a valid Mississippi driver's license.

Route 2: The alternate route

The State Board approved this path on September 25, 2025. Under the alternate route requirements, a candidate needs:

• A two-year college degree or higher, and a valid driver's license.
• A passing score on the IC3 technology test or an MDE-approved substitute.
• One to two years of recent work experience. A law enforcement or firefighter certificate can take its place.
• New Teacher Induction, an online learning course, and DPS's Driver's Education Instructor Certification course.

Teachers who already hold a five-year license skip the work experience and New Teacher Induction. The DPS instructor course application lists a $175 fee, and MDE says applicants pay all licensure costs.

Our view: start with teachers who already hold a five-year license, such as a coach or PE teacher. They have the shortest path. Earlier MDE memos also asked for a motor vehicle report on each instructor, so pull those early.

State law also lets off-duty Mississippi Highway Patrol members teach in school driver ed programs, under § 63-1-33. And MDE told the Mississippi Free Press that a trooper will teach the traffic-stop lesson in every course.

How do you get a program approved and paid for?

Rule 29.1 says districts "shall submit an application to the State Board of Education for approval." A program should have at least 10 students, and the school must be accredited.

The forms

Rule 29.1 names four reports. Your district may know them by number:

• DE-1: application for approval and state aid.
• DE-2: simulator application.
• DE-3: requisition for reimbursement.
• DE-4: yearly cost report.

For 2025-26, MDE's driver education memo set a July 1 due date for its forms. In 2023-24, MDE warned that skipping approval disqualifies a district from reimbursement. Watch for the 2026-27 memo from the MDE Office of Safe and Orderly Schools.

Vehicles

Rule 29.1 refers to "an automobile with dual controls." We found no state rule on signs or insurance for training cars. Ask your district's insurer before the first drive.

Funding

Under Rule 29.1, the state reimburses a per-pupil amount set by the State Board, "in no case to exceed the actual cost per pupil." The amount can change each year. MDE asked for about $30 million for driver ed, mostly for simulators. "Unfortunately, those requests have yet to be funded," MDE's Brian McGairty told the Mississippi Free Press in July 2026.

Some districts charge a fee. Oxford High School's summer 2026 session listed $200 for 15 seats. Check your board's fee policy before you set one.

Key takeaways for Mississippi school leaders

Frequently asked questions

Build your 2026-27 driver ed plan now

Start with the table above. Count your endorsed teachers, cars, and rooms, then file MDE's forms on time. Ask MDE the two simulator questions before you buy anything.

Want to see how simulation could stretch your car time? Request a demo and bring your enrollment and staffing numbers.