Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek announced 10,235 students were funded through the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program, also known as MOScholars, for the 2026-2027 school year.
The program, founded in 2021 by the Missouri General Assembly, awards tax credits to Missouri taxpayers who donate to organizations that award scholarships to families to help send their students to private schools, according to previous reporting.
Its enrollment surged from 1,361 students in the program's first school year, 2022-2023, to more than 10,000 students. The state awarded more than $68 million to these students this academic year.
Opponents like state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, D-Columbia, said public funds should be spent on public schools, not private schools or homeschooling, according to previous reporting.
The Missouri State Treasurer's Office is partnered with Odyssey, a software company that helps with some of the largest school choice programs in the United States, to implement the program.
“Every Missouri child deserves access to a quality education that meets their unique needs,” Malek said. “The tremendous growth of the MOScholars program shows just how eager families are for these opportunities."
The program received more than 16,000 applications, according to Malek's news release.
There are 385 approved schools and 350 family-paced education programs participating statewide, according to the release.
MOScholars funds students to attend private schools, homeschool education, interdistrict enrollment and special education services, according to the news release.
Families who are interested in updates about the program and future applications can sign up for the MOScholars newsletter here.
