Tuition Assistance

One of Morning Star’s core goals is “to support parents in their God-given responsibility to educate their children.” We believe that if God is calling your family to Morning Star Academy that he will provide the means! Over half of our families receive financial assistance, and our financial aid program is made possible by generous donors.

Morning Star Academy's financial aid program is need-based and available for both Iowa and Illinois families. We use an independent agency called FACTS to assess families' financial needs. FACTS will make a recommendation to the school regarding scholarships. The Morning Star Academy administration reviews the FACTS recommendations and grants funds accordingly (including STO funds for Iowa families). Financial aid is available for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

 

Financial Aid Application Process

  1. Complete the confidential FACTS Grant and Aid application. For returning families, the financial aid deadline is April 15. Financial aid requests for families new to our school will be considered as they enroll. The cost of the FACTS application is $40 per year. Families must re-apply each year. 

  2. Upload supporting documentation to FACTS.

  3. Morning Star Academy's administrators will review the FACTS report and make the final financial aid decisions. Financial Aid application information is held strictly confidential by the administration. These decisions will be reported to families who have applied for financial aid starting during the month of May. For families receiving financial aid, the $40 application fee will be reimbursed in the total financial aid package.

  4. Scholarship grants are made from the total available funds based on the following criteria, taking into account priority towards the families with greatest need. Priority is also given to teachers and staff. 

  • Tuition obligation % of family income available after core expenses.

  • Number of children attending Morning Star.

  • Fulfillment of prior year financial commitments to Morning Star.

  • Heavy indebtedness or other special circumstances precipitated by business, personal loss or extensive medical costs.

Heart of Iowa School Tuition Organization (STO) Scholarship

As part of our regular financial aid process, we ask all Iowa family residents in need of tuition assistance to first apply to the Heart of Iowa STO. The Heart of Iowa STO is a scholarship organization serving thirteen Iowa Christian schools including Morning Star Academy. The scholarship organization is funded by individuals and businesses across Iowa who share a vision for Christian education.

To apply for a Heart of Iowa STO scholarship please complete the STO application and return it to the business office.

A family can apply for an STO scholarship if they meet the following state determined income guidelines:

Household Size Total Income Limit 24/25

Iowa Tax Return (Taxable Income)
2 $81,760
3 $103,280
4 $124,800
5 $146,320
6 $167,840
7 $189,360
8 $210,880
Each Additional Person + $21,520

Other Ways Families Can Offset Tuition Costs

There are several additional programs and credits available to all families, regardless of financial need.

SCRIP Credit

Through the SCRIP program you can earn credit on your tuition account. You do so by purchasing gift cards to your favorite merchants (e.g. HyVee) through ShopWithScrip.com. When store gift cards are purchased at ShopWithScrip.com, Scrip discounts the cards to Morning Star Academy. A significant percentage of the rebates earned are then passed directly back to the Morning Star family in the form of tuition credits. Families may also recruit others to buy SCRIP and designate their rebates to be applied to the student of their choice. Please check with the business office for more information and the current rebate percentage.

 Transportation Credit (Iowa only)

The State of Iowa offers some transportation reimbursement for K-12 students. To receive reimbursement for transporting your child(ren) to Morning Star, a parent will file with the public school district of residence twice a year. The amount of reimbursement will vary each year, but this past year it was approximately $200 per child per semester for a maximum of three children in grades K - 8 and one child in high school per family. It is definitely worth your time to submit the request.

The reimbursement checks will come directly to families sometime in the July-September timeframe. You will file twice each school year but the State only mails the reimbursement checks once each year.

Tuition Credit (Iowa only)

You may be able to claim up to $250 per student for tuition and textbook payments on your State of Iowa income tax return. Consult your tax adviser for more information.