Missouri’s school choice program sparks debate as state-funded vouchers predominantly support religious institutions
More than 95% of Missouri’s taxpayer-supported school voucher funds are going to religious institutions, according to new reporting from The 74 Million. The findings show that the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program, created to expand school choice, is overwhelmingly supporting tuition at faith-based private schools.
A program meant for choice, not religion
Missouri’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program was designed to give families more flexibility to move their children out of public schools and into private ones.The program operates through a tax-credit system. Individuals and corporations donate to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and receive state tax credits in return. These SGOs then use the funds to award private school scholarships for eligible students.In practice, most of that money is going to religious schools, mainly Catholic and Protestant institutions.
The numbers tell the story
Data from the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office shows that over 95% of ESA funds have been used for tuition at faith-based schools. This means nearly every taxpayer-subsidised scholarship dollar supports students attending institutions that include religious instruction in their curriculum.Supporters say the numbers reflect parents’ genuine preference for religious education when given a choice. Critics argue the program is diverting public resources from secular public schools and raising constitutional concerns about church-state separation.
Supporters call it parental freedom
Backers of the ESA program, including school-choice advocacy groups, emphasise that tax credits are not direct public expenditures, reports The 74. They argue that families voluntarily choose where to send their children, and the dominance of religious schools shows demand, not favouritism.They see the program as a way to give families affordable options that align with their educational and moral values.
Critics see a blurred line between church and state
According to The 74, opponents say the program weakens the boundary between church and state funding. Although structured through tax credits, the money represents foregone public revenue. Critics warn that this approach shifts public support away from underfunded public schools to private religious institutions.They argue that the state is effectively subsidising religious instruction through a mechanism presented as neutral.
A national trend shaped by Supreme Court rulings
Missouri’s experience reflects a national pattern. Across the United States, similar school-choice initiatives are channeling public resources into faith-based schools.Two major Supreme Court rulings helped pave the way. In Trinity Lutheran v. Comer (2017), which originated in Missouri, the Court ruled that religious organisations could not be excluded from public benefit programs based solely on religious affiliation, reports The 74 million. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020), the Court went further, deciding that states could not bar religious schools from receiving funds available to other private schools.These decisions have encouraged states to expand voucher and tax-credit programs that include faith-based options, while reducing the legal grounds for excluding them.
What it means for public education
The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program was promoted as a neutral policy to expand opportunity. In reality, the data shows it has become a state-supported channel for religious schooling.Missouri now joins other states where school choice has become closely linked to faith-based education. The findings have raised questions about whether states can maintain both religious liberty and equity in public education when nearly every voucher dollar funds religious instruction.
