School Choice in Missouri
Missouri runs 1 private school choice program, together serving about 2,700 students. None of them reaches a universal tier, so eligibility is limited.
Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program
Tax-Credit ESA- Students
- 2,700
- Eligible
- 83%
- Average award
- $6,375
- Launched
- 2021
The average award is 46% of what the state spends per pupil in its public schools.
Homeschooling in Missouri
Homeschooling is legal in every state. Missouri recognises one legal route to it, compulsory attendance runs from age 7–17, and notice to the state is not required. The Missouri homeschool requirements are set out in full on their own page.
How Missouri compares
Nationally, 36 jurisdictions run 82 private-choice programs serving roughly 2,279,109 students, and 18 have at least one program any student may apply to. The state-by-state guide sets out how the programs differ.
Where this comes from
Program data from EdChoice's School Choice in America dashboard, retrieved 2026-09-16; homeschool requirements from HSLDA. Participation and award figures are the most recent EdChoice publishes and lag the current school year. Educational information, not legal or financial advice — confirm eligibility with the program before you rely on it.
More on Missouri: its freedom score and rank