Tax-Credit ESA
Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program
-
Enacted:2021
-
Launched:2021
Program Stats
-
83%
Students Eligible -
1%
Funded Eligibility -
2,700
Participating Students -
$6,375
Average Account Value -
46%
Public School Funding
Program Summary
A student who participates in Missouri’s TCESA program must be a legal Missouri resident and either: 1) have an approved IEP under the IDEA, or 2) come from a family earning no more than 300% of the FRL limit. Students qualifying by income must also have attended public school full-time for at least one semester in the past year, be eligible to enter kindergarten or first grade, or be the sibling of a qualifying student who received a scholarship last year and will do so again this year. Eligibility continues until the student withdraws from the program or graduates from high school. Priority goes to returning recipients and their siblings, followed by students with IEPs and students under 100% of the FRL. Educational assistance organizations award scholarships funded by private donations, and donors are eligible for 100% tax credits. Awards may reach 175% of the state adequacy target, depending on need.
Funding Mechanism: Appropriation
Universal Eligibility: ❌
Universal Usage: ✅
Universal Funding: ❌
Truly Universal: ❌
(Last updated December 16, 2025)
Use of Funds
Students may use ESAs for private school tuition fees or a variety of a la carte educational expenses, including textbooks, educational therapies, tutoring services, curriculum, virtual school tuition, standardized tests, public school classes, extracurricular activities, certain approved computer hardware and technological devices, summer education programs, after-school programs, and transportation to and from school.
(Last updated December 16, 2025)
Program Guidelines
View program requirements for parents, schools, and scholarship granting organizations by clicking on each hyperlink.
(Last updated December 16, 2025)