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MOScholars: Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Account

At Miacademy, we’ve been hard at work partnering with various state funding agencies across the country. Our goal is to make a quality education accessible for every student, and we’re accomplishing our goal one state at a time. 

If you’re homeschooling in Missouri, we have some exciting news to share with you! 

Miacademy is now an eligible marketplace purchase for the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program (MOScholars)! Eligible families in Missouri can access Miacademy’s accredited online homeschool curriculum with funding provided by the MOScholars program.

Visit the MOScholars Program Website

What is the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program in Missouri? 

The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program in Missouri offers a unique education savings account (ESA) for eligible families. These accounts provide funding for tuition at preferred schools, as well as other educational and homeschool-related expenses. From tutoring to curricula, tuition, specialized educational therapies, and vibrant extracurricular activities, these ESAs foster a diverse and enriching learning environment for public, private, and homeschooled students.

The accounts are funded by individuals and businesses who donate to educational assistance organizations (EAOs), who then distribute the ESA funding to students in need across the state.

For the 2023-24 school year, scholarship recipients received $6,375 each. Scholarship funds can be used for many home education expenses, including…

  • Tuition and fees at a qualified school, including online and private school tuition
  • Textbooks required by the school
  • Educational therapies, paraprofessionals, and educational aides
  • Tutoring services
  • Online or paper curricula
  • Testing fees
  • Computer hardware 
  • Transportation

For a full list of qualified and nonqualified expenses, please refer to the MOScholars Parent Handbook.

Who Qualifies for MOScholars?

To qualify for the Missouri ESA program, a student must meet all of the following base criteria: 

  1. Reside in the state of Missouri
  2. Be an elementary school or secondary school student
  3. Live in a county or city with at least 30,000 residents (see list)

In addition to the criteria listed above, students must also satisfy one of the following, as stated in the Parent Handbook: 

  1. Have an approved “individualized education plan” (IEP) developed under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that is less than 36 months old
  1. Have an “individual service plan” (ISP) that was developed with a local education agency under the IDEA that is less than 36 months old
  1. Meets the income requirements. Annual household income may not exceed 100% of the federal income standard used to qualify for free and reduced lunches. In addition, the student must meet at least one of the following:

3A.  Attended public school full time for at least one semester in the past year

3B.  Is eligible to begin kindergarten or first grade

If funding remains available after all students who meet the above qualifications have been served, then the next category of qualified student is any student who…

  1. Meets the income requirements. Annual household income may not exceed 200% of the federal income standard used to qualify for free and reduced lunches. In addition, the student must meet at least one of the following:

4A.  Attended public school full time for at least one semester in the past year

4B.  Is eligible to begin kindergarten or first grade

How Do I Get Miacademy with MOScholars?

To get Miacademy with an ESA in Missouri, you’ll first need to determine eligibility. You can do this by reading through the Parent Handbook to familiarize yourself with eligibility criteria, eligible expenses, and other important program information. Next, you’ll need to register with a certified EAO that is partnering with the school your student wishes to attend. EAOs will prescreen you for eligibility before providing you with the MOScholars application. 

Here is a quick roadmap of the process: 

  1. Identify the school your child wishes to attend

For families who plan to homeschool, you can use the list of EAOs to choose one that partners with homeschool families instead of only individual schools.

  1. Identify an EAO that is partnered with your school or homeschool
  2. Contact the EAO to complete an eligibility prescreening

Note: EAO registration dates and deadlines vary, depending on which EAO you choose, so it’s best to do your research early!

  1. Receive access to the MOScholars student application
  2. Complete the application and submit verification documents
  3. If verified and awarded, access a ClassWallet account

Once you have access to your ClassWallet account, you can purchase Miacademy with your available balance through the ClassWallet Marketplace. 

After you’ve made the purchase, you’re ready to start learning! In addition, there are a few maintenance items you’ll need to take care of later, such as…

  1. Having your student take a standardized achievement test
  2. Completing the annual satisfaction survey
  3. Submitting your renewal with the EAO annually

Want to know more about the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program in Missouri? Visit their FAQ page for more information and check out their scholarship page for more eligibility details.

If you have any questions about Miacademy and MOScholars, feel free to chat with one of our helpful customer service agents! They’ll be happy to help you find the answers you need. 

FAQ 

What is the MOScholars program?

The MOScholars program provides ESA funding to students in need, enabling families to pay tuition and other educational expenses for homeschooled, public school, or private school students. The program incentivizes donations from the community through tax credits, which benefits not only students and their families, but supports overall community involvement as well.

Does Miacademy qualify for MOScholars? 

Yes! As of January 2024, Miacademy is now an approved vendor on Classwallet through the MOScholars program. Any MOScholars ESA recipient can access Miacademy’s accredited homeschool curriculum using their ESA funding, without paying out of pocket.

Information accurate as of: 03/29/2024. The information provided on this site is intended for research purposes only. Miaplaza is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or outdated information, or for the results yielded through use of this information.