JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Today Treasurer Vivek Malek released a first-of-its-kind report measuring the performance of students in the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program (MOScholars). It evaluated the first three years of the MOScholars Program, starting in the 2022-23 school year. By the third year of the program, students in MOScholars are performing at or above the national average in ELA and math. More than 30 percent of MOScholars students have special needs and an IEP.
The report, MOScholars Program: Three-Year Report, Student Outcomes, was prepared by researchers at the Policy Research in Missouri Education (PRiME) Center at Saint Louis University. It analyzes 2,156 scores from 19 nationally norm-referenced assessments taken by students in grades 3-10.
Key takeaways from the report:
- Participating students in grades 3-10 are required to take a nationally-normed-referenced assessment in English Language Arts and Math.
- Average MOScholar ELA scores increased from the 46th to the 51st national percentile over the first three years of the program.
- Average MOScholar Math scores increased from the 47th to the 49th national percentile over the first three years of the program.
- For comparison, the average Missouri public school student scores at approximately the 47th to 45th percentile on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2024, according to a PRiME Center analysis.
- More than 30 percent of program participants are special needs students with an Individualized Education plan, far higher than the state average. The remaining students were admitted based on statutory income limits.
“My office is proud to support the MOScholars Program because an investment in our children’s education is an investment in Missouri’s future,” said Treasurer Vivek Malek. “The early results from this report are encouraging, with students performing at or above national averages in English Language Arts and math. Behind these numbers are families who have been given the opportunity to find the right educational fit for their children, including students with special needs who deserve every opportunity to succeed. These results reinforce why expanding educational opportunities and empowering parents to make the best decisions for their children is so important.”
MOScholars supports a wide range of educational pathways across Missouri, including private school, family-paced education, interdistrict enrollment, and special education services. The MOScholars program has experienced exponential year-over-year enrollment growth, surging from 1,361 students during its inaugural 2022-2023 year to more than 10,000 students today. For the 2026-27 school year, MOScholars has awarded $68.7 million in educational funds to 10,235 students.
“By the third year of the MO Scholars program, students were already scoring near or above the national average in language arts and math,” said Collin Hitt, executive director of the PRiME Center, which conducted the study. “These early results are encouraging. They provide a baseline for future years. The program is growing exponentially. As it does, so will our ability to go beyond single-year tests and watch how students grow over time.”
The PRiME Center has also looked at parental satisfaction with the MOScholars Program by administering a “Parent Satisfaction Survey” at the close of each school year (from 2022-23 to 2024-25) via SurveyMonkey. Across the three program years:
- Nearly all respondents are satisfied with the MOScholars program overall (99%), and respondents are generally satisfied with their student’s academic achievement (98%).
- In the open-ended responses, 359 respondents voiced gratitude and appreciation for the MOScholars Program, and 95 described the program’s impact as beneficial.
- Seventy-seven respondents expressed a desire for increased funding and higher award amounts, along with 56 respondents who voiced wishes for greater flexibility in how scholarship funds could be spent.
- Forty-two respondents expressed a desire for the program to include more students by expanding eligibility.
About the MOScholars Program: In 2021, the Missouri General Assembly enacted HB 349 and SB 86, establishing MOScholars. The program provides financial assistance to qualified Missouri students, including students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and students from low-income households, to support eligible educational expenses.
Under the program, approved nonprofit Educational Assistance Organizations (EAOs) administer Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and award scholarship funds in accordance with state law and program requirements. Scholarship amounts are determined by statute and may vary based on a student’s eligibility category. Funds may be used only for educational expenses authorized by law and may not be used for purposes prohibited by statute.
Families interested in receiving updates about the program, including future application openings, can sign up for the MOScholars newsletter here.