MOScholars for Private School Tuition: How Missouri Families Can Get Help

Private school tuition is the single largest qualified expense under MOScholars. For families sending children to parochial, independent, or accredited private schools in Missouri, the scholarship can offset tuition through a specific process involving your EAO, the school's ClassWallet registration, and electronic invoicing. The 2025–26 State Adequacy Target was $7,145; current statutory award limits vary by student category.

How Tuition Payments Work

Tuition is paid through ClassWallet's Direct Pay system, not out of pocket. Here is the sequence:

1. Your private school registers as a ClassWallet vendor. The school must be pre-registered and approved by the State Treasurer's Office within the ClassWallet platform. Most established Missouri private schools that accept MOScholars students are already registered.

2. The school issues an electronic invoice. Through ClassWallet, the school sends a tuition invoice to the parent's scholarship account. The invoice specifies the amount, billing period, and student name.

3. You approve the invoice. Log into your ClassWallet dashboard, review the invoice details, and authorize the payment.

4. ClassWallet pays the school directly. Electronic funds transfer goes from the scholarship account to the school. No cash changes hands, and no reimbursement submission is needed.

For schools not yet registered in ClassWallet, the registration process takes time. If your child's school is new to MOScholars, start the vendor onboarding conversation early — ideally before the school year begins.

Which Schools Qualify

MOScholars covers tuition at qualified Missouri private schools and public or private virtual schools located in Missouri. Out-of-state private schools are not eligible. The school does not need to be accredited by a specific body, but it must meet Missouri's definition of a qualifying educational institution and partner with an EAO.

MOCAP (Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program) virtual schools are one option for families who prefer online instruction and want the structure of an enrolled school program.

Matching Schools to EAOs

Not every EAO works with every private school. Each EAO maintains partnerships with specific schools and institutions. Before applying, confirm that your target school is partnered with the EAO you plan to use.

Religious school networks often align with specific EAOs:

• Bright Futures Fund serves Kansas City–St. Joseph and Springfield–Cape Girardeau diocesan Catholic schools
• ACSI Children's Tuition Fund partners with Association of Christian Schools International member schools
• Agudath Israel of Missouri serves Orthodox Jewish Day Schools in St. Louis County
• Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation covers parochial schools in the St. Louis metro area

For independent or non-denominational private schools, Activate Missouri and Herzog Tomorrow Foundation tend to have broader partnership coverage. Verify directly with the EAO before committing to an application.

What Else the Scholarship Covers

Beyond tuition, private school families can use MOScholars funds for required enrollment fees, textbooks and curriculum materials, educational therapies (speech, OT, ABA) from licensed providers, tutoring from qualified instructors, standardized test fees, and one computer or educational tablet per student every three years.

The statutory award limit is based on the student's category, not whether your child attends private school or participates in FPE homeschooling. For 2025–26 the SAT was $7,145; current limits can be higher for some student categories. But private school families typically direct the bulk of their funds to tuition, while homeschool families spread it across curriculum, services, and materials.

Applying for Tuition Assistance

The application process follows the same four steps as any MOScholars application: choose an EAO that partners with your school, complete pre-qualification screening, upload documentation through the FACTS portal, and accept the award when notified. Private school families do not need to use FPE, but must still meet the student eligibility requirements and attend a qualified school partnered with an EAO.

For a detailed walkthrough of the application process and a comparison of every EAO's school partnerships and award caps, see our Missouri MOScholars Scholarship Parent Guide.

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