MOScholars Report: Data Gaps

The Missouri Treasurer’s Office released the first official report on student academic performance in the MOScholars voucher program on Wednesday. The document covers the first three years of the program, which launched in 2022. While the findings indicate that students scored near the national average in reading and math, the report also documents significant flaws in how the state collected and verified the data.

Researchers from the Saint Louis University PRiME Center, which was hired to compile the study, found that only 77% of students in testing grades submitted valid test results. The remaining 23% either did not submit scores or provided data that could not be verified. The report identified 27 different types of tests used by students, eight of which were not nationally norm-referenced assessments as required by state law for grades 3 through 10. The request for proposals sent to contractors in April 2025 described the existing data as disjointed, noting that there was no standard format and that the current state of the data was useless to measure anything.

The report also lacks family income data, a metric that state law requires for all performance reports. State statutes mandate that data be aggregated by grade level, gender, family income level, years of participation, and race. The PRiME Center stated that insufficient data were collected to accurately report this information. The discrepancy stems from the fact that students qualify for the voucher either by having an income below 300% of the federal poverty line or by having a child with an individualized education plan. Families qualifying through an IEP are not required to provide income information. The treasurer’s office told The Independent that collecting more income data than necessary would violate common privacy standards for eligibility programs.

In English language arts, the average MOScholars student scored in the 46th to 51st percentile nationally. In math, the average score fell between the 47th and 49th percentile. For comparison, Missouri public school students taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2024 scored in the 45th to 47th percentile. Collin Hitt, the executive director of the PRiME Center, noted that he would not have guessed such results given that 40% of the students have an IEP and the rest come from relatively low-income households. The report does not include data from the 2025-26 school year, in which the program more than doubled in size.

The delay in publishing the report drew criticism from lawmakers who had expected the findings earlier. When the program was being expanded in 2024, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck asked State Treasurer Vivek Malek about accountability during a committee hearing. Beck, a Democrat from Affton, asked if anyone knew the educational outcomes of the students. Malek stated that his office would produce the report after the third academic year, ending in 2024-25. However, the office did not hire the PRiME Center until June 2025. The Independent reported that the office changed its timeline explanation, initially citing data collection delays and later citing the need to hire staff to analyze scores.

Compliance with testing requirements varied among the educational assistance organizations that administer the program. The Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation, which is connected to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, had the lowest response rate. In the 2024-25 school year, 14% of its students declined to submit scores, and 13% of submitted scores could not be validated. The PRiME Center says it has constructed a longitudinal data system to track students over time and improve future reporting. The treasurer’s office has also switched software providers to better manage data collection.

Beck said the report amplified his disappointment with the program’s administration. He described the report as incomplete and a admission that the treasurer’s office was not following the law. The report was outsourced to a third party and did not answer key questions about student growth. The Senate voted to move the program from the treasurer’s office to education officials late in the legislative session, but a final vote was not taken after pressure from a St. Louis archbishop to keep the current structure.

Treasurer Vivek Malek expressed pride in the results in a news release, stating that the numbers represent families finding the right educational fit for their children, including those with special needs. He said the results reinforce the importance of expanding educational opportunities and empowering parents. The office also published a survey showing that 99% of parent respondents were satisfied with the program. Some parents cited confusion about requirements and a lack of communication, but the majority expressed contentment with the overall experience.