Examining the Geographic Eligibility Component of the MO Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program

By Abigail Burrola, Amy J. Shelton, Evan Rhinesmith J. Cameron Anglum

House Bill 349 creates the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) tax-credit scholarship program for Missouri’s public school students. ESA scholarships can be applied to educational expenses including private school tuition and other services.

Key Points:

• Program eligibility is first determined by where a student lives (if they live in a charter county or a city with a population of 30,000 or more), then through disability status and family income.

• The four qualifying counties and their bordering non-qualifying counties share similar demographic characteristics, while some non-qualifying border counties exhibit lower median incomes, lower educational attainment, and higher shares of students in poverty.

• Cities above and just below the required population threshold had a similar percent of students in poverty.

• Counties with the highest rates of poverty are not eligible for the ESA. 

Please Cite As: Burrola, A., Shelton, A., Rhinesmith, E., & Anglum, J. (2021). Examining the Geographic Eligibility Component of the MO Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program. Policy Research in Missouri Education, 3(12). Saint Louis University. https://www.sluprime.org/policy-brief-database/mo-esa-geography