Two public school districts—Hallsville R-IV and Atlanta C-3—are the first districts in Missouri to participate in MOScholars.
MOScholars is Missouri’s education savings account (ESA) program. It provides scholarships to eligible families to use on a variety of educational expenses: tuition, tutoring, lessons, and more. The decision by Hallsville and Atlanta to join the program is noteworthy because MOScholars is viewed primarily as a vehicle for private school tuition. Their participation is a reminder that these scholarships can also enable nonresident students to attend public schools outside of their assigned districts.
The move is significant for two reasons. First, it signals a willingness among public schools to compete for students within a choice-driven landscape. Contrary to the notion that public schools wilt under competition, districts like Hallsville and Atlanta are demonstrating initiative. As Patrick Wolf, Distinguished Professor of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas, explains, “this idea that public schools are a fragile ecosystem, and they can only serve students if they have no competition . . . that claim has been completely debunked.”
Second, the move effectively serves as a workaround to Missouri’s lack of statewide interdistrict open enrollment. Students in Missouri typically cannot attend a public school outside their residential district. By participating in MOScholars, Hallsville and Atlanta are using the program to facilitate student transfers across district lines, with the scholarship serving as the funding mechanism rather than state formula dollars.
Given the limited size and scope of the MOScholars program as currently funded, it is unlikely that there will be significant enrollment shifts in these districts due to their participation. Still, their decision points to underlying demand for more school choice and is another step toward a more flexible and responsive public education system in Missouri.
