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, He will provide the means! Over half of our families receive financial assistance. Our financial assistance program is made possible by generous donors.
Morning Star Academy's financial assistance program is need-based and available for both Iowa and Illinois families. We use FACTS to assess families' financial needs. FACTS will make a recommendation to the school regarding scholarships based on the financial data provided by the families. The Morning Star Academy administration reviews those recommendations and grants funds accordingly (including STO funds for Iowa families). Financial assistance is available for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Financial Assistance Application Process
Complete the confidential FACTS Grant and Aid application. For returning families, the financial assistance deadline is April 15. Financial assistance requests for families new to our school will be considered as they enroll. The cost of the FACTS application is $45 per year. Families must re-apply each year.
Iowa families submit the STO application (see below).
Note: Scholarship applications that are submitted by April 15 will be processed and the amount of awards communicated by May 1.
Heart of Iowa School Tuition Organization (STO) Scholarship
Our Iowa families will begin the financial assistance process by applying to the Heart of Iowa STO. The Heart of Iowa STO is a scholarship organization serving sixteen 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 25/26
Iowa Tax Return (Taxable Income) |
| 2 | $84,600 |
| 3 | $106,600 |
| 4 | $128,600 |
| 5 | $150,600 |
| 6 | $172,600 |
| 7 | $194,600 |
| 8 | $216,600 |
| 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.