Compared to other states, Missouri is in the middle of the pack in terms of public education quality, earning a “C” grade in the 2019 Quality Counts report card. However, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the state’s five best school districts, all of which maintain a consistently high level of performance.
Missouri’s best school system is Kirkwood School District, which comprises five elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school serving an enrollment of 5,700 students. Students of the district regularly earn test scores that are among the highest in the state while graduating at a rate of 99%.
Lindbergh Schools earns the #2 spot in the ranking of Missouri’s best school districts. Lindbergh is a large district, with over 7,100 students attending one of eleven different campuses. The district’s schools have received a generous number of awards and achievements, including six National Ribbon School honors.
Placing 3rd in the ranking is Ladue School District, comprising seven schools and an early childhood center in the city of St. Louis. The ethnically diverse district regularly manages a graduation rate of over 90%.
The School District of Clayton places 4th in the list of Missouri’s best school districts. Headquartered in Clayton, the district comprises six schools with an enrollment of around 2,800. A remarkable 21 Clayton High School students were named National Merit Scholars in 2020.
Rounding out the list is Ozark School District, comprising seven schools in the city of Ozark. Students of the district consistently perform at a high academic level, which is seen in the 97.2% graduation rate, 22.6 average ACT score, and 53% of students that qualified for an A+ scholarship.
Top School Districts in Missouri, 2020
Rank School District City
1 Kirkwood R-Vii Kirkwood
2 Lindbergh Schools St Louis
3 Ladue St Louis
4 Clayton Clayton
5 Ozark R-Vi Ozark
6 Nixa Public Schools Nixa
7 Webster Groves Webster Groves
8 Troy R-Iii Troy
10 Kearney R-I Kearney
11 Northwest R-I House Springs
12 Raymore-Peculiar R-Ii Peculiar
13 Jackson R-Ii Jackson
14 Pattonville R-Iii St Ann
15 Festus R-Vi Festus
16 Waynesville R-Vi Waynesville
17 Branson R-Iv Branson
18 Webb City R-Vii Webb City
19 Willard R-Ii Willard
20 Republic R-Iii Republic
21 Grain Valley R-V Grain Valley
22 Farmington R-Vii Farmington
23 Sedalia 200 Sedalia
24 Brentwood Brentwood
25 Poplar Bluff R-I Poplar Bluff
26 Fort Osage R-I Independence
27 Blair Oaks R-Ii Jefferson City
28 Richland R-I Essex
29 St. Charles R-Vi St Charles
30 Hancock Place St Louis
31 Rolla 31 Rolla
32 Smithville R-Ii Smithville
33 Washington Washington
34 Lebanon R-Iii Lebanon
35 Windsor C-1 Imperial
36 Maplewood-Richmond Heights Maplewood
37 Warrensburg R-Vi Warrensburg
38 Hillsboro R-Iii Hillsboro
39 Affton 101 St Louis
40 Pleasant Hill R-Iii Pleasant Hill
41 Orchard Farm R-V Saint Charles
42 Camdenton R-Iii Camdenton
43 Belton 124 Belton
44 Carthage R-Ix Carthage
45 Ste. Genevieve Co. R-Ii Ste Genevieve
46 Mcdonald Co. R-I Anderson
47 Hannibal 60 Hannibal
48 Warren Co. R-Iii Warrenton
49 Carl Junction R-I Carl Junction
50 Lawson R-Xiv Lawson
51 Marceline R-V Marceline
52 Bolivar R-I Bolivar
53 Hickory Co. R-I Urbana
54 Valley Park Valley Park
55 West Platte Co. R-Ii Weston
56 School Of The Osage Lake Ozark
57 Meramec Valley R-Iii Pacific
58 Jefferson Co. R-Vii Jefferson City
59 Oak Grove R-Vi Oak Grove
60 Bayless St Louis
61 Cole Camp R-I Cole Camp
62 West Plains R-Vii West Plains
63 Ritenour St Louis
64 Desoto 73 Desoto
65 Carrollton R-Vii Carrollton
66 Savannah R-Iii Savannah
67 Central R-Iii Park Hills
68 Neosho School District Neosho
69 Fair Grove R-X Fair Grove
70 Odessa R-Vii Odessa
71 Hallsville R-Iv Hallsville
72 Knob Noster R-Viii Knob Noster
73 Gasconade Co. R-Ii Owensville
74 Forsyth R-Iii Forsyth
75 Potosi R-Iii Potosi
76 Arcadia Valley R-Ii Ironton
77 Reeds Spring R-Iv Reeds Spring
78 Strafford R-Vi Strafford
79 Sullivan Sullivan
80 Maryville R-Ii Maryville
81 Cameron R-I Cameron
82 Marshfield R-I Marshfield
83 Cape Girardeau 63 Cape Girardeau
84 East Buchanan Co. C-1 Gower
85 Mountain Grove R-Iii Mountain Grove
86 Kennett 39 Kennett
87 Harrisonville R-Ix Harrisonville
88 Chillicothe R-Ii Chillicothe
89 Lathrop R-Ii Lathrop
90 Palmyra R-I Palmyra
91 Grandview C-4 Grandview
92 Osage Co. R-Iii Westphalia
93 Kingston K-14 Cadet
94 Monett R-I Monett
95 Hollister R-V Hollister
96 Clever R-V Clever
97 North St. Francois Co. R-I Bonne Terre
98 North Platte Co. R-I Dearborn
99 Kirksville R-Iii Kirksville
100 Aurora R-Viii Aurora
Methodology
The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.
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