Education in Missouri
Missouri educates roughly 870,000 public K–12 students across about 518 school districts, overseen by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the State Board.
Missouri's choice landscape has expanded recently: its tax-credit-funded MOScholars education savings account went statewide in 2024, and Missouri added a public open-enrollment option. Uniquely, Missouri's charter schools are limited to Kansas City and St. Louis (with a narrow recent expansion). Missouri is also known for its A+ Scholarship (free community college for eligible graduates), uses its own MoCA teacher tests, and — unusually — does not mandate gifted education. This guide walks through it all — for the student, the family, the school, and the educator — and points to the official source throughout.
Who must attend school
Missouri requires children ages 7 to 17 to attend school (a student may be released at 16 with a high school equivalency or after completing 16 units of credit). Attendance can be met through a public school, a private school, or a home school.
- Start age7
- End of compulsory age17 (early release at 16 in some cases)
- Districts~518 school districts
- Satisfying itPublic, private, or home school
Pre-K in Missouri
Missouri does not offer a universal pre-K program. State support for early education flows through the Missouri Preschool Program and, increasingly, through the school-funding formula (which lets districts count some eligible pre-K students for state aid to expand access), alongside Head Start and child-care assistance. Missouri rates program quality through Missouri Quality Rating.
Because publicly funded seats are limited and district-dependent, availability varies, so families should check local pre-K and Head Start options early. See our Kindergarten Readiness and Early Childhood toolkits.
Districts & charters
Missouri's largest districts include Springfield, Rockwood and Parkway (St. Louis suburbs), North Kansas City, Columbia, and Lee's Summit. A distinctive Missouri feature: charter schools are limited by law to Kansas City and St. Louis (which together have 60+ charters), with a narrow 2024 expansion allowing charters in certain mid-size counties (currently just Boone County/Columbia). So charters remain geographically restricted.
Starting in 2025–26, Missouri also offers a public open-enrollment option (below). Find Missouri public and charter schools in our schools directory.
Private & independent schools in Missouri
Missouri has a large private-school sector, concentrated in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, spanning:
- Independent schoolsNonprofit, board-governed schools such as John Burroughs School and MICDS (St. Louis), and Pembroke Hill School (Kansas City)
- Catholic & parochial schoolsA large network across the Archdiocese of St. Louis and dioceses statewide (such as the Jesuit St. Louis University High and Rockhurst)
- Other religious schoolsA strong Lutheran (Missouri Synod, headquartered in St. Louis) network, plus Christian and other faith-based schools
- Specialty schoolsMontessori and schools for specific learning needs
Missouri regulates private schools only lightly, and accreditation is voluntary — many independent schools belong to ISACS or are accredited through Cognia. Because Missouri's MOScholars tax-credit ESA funds private-school tuition, participating schools take on some requirements. Families should ask about a school's accreditation, curriculum, and outcomes directly.
MOScholars & open enrollment
Missouri's private-choice program is MOScholars — an education savings account funded by a tax credit (rather than directly from the school budget): donors give to Educational Assistance Organizations and receive a state tax credit, and the EAOs award ESAs to families. Key details:
- Statewide (since 2024)SB 727 expanded MOScholars statewide and raised income eligibility to include middle-class families
- AmountRoughly $6,375 (more for students who are low-income, have an IEP, or are English learners)
- Funding capUp to $75 million in tax credits
- Homeschool option (FPE)A "Family-Paced Education" category lets home-educating families participate
Missouri also launched public open enrollment for 2025–26 (families may apply to a participating public district outside their own), and has opted into the new federal tax-credit scholarship program (expected 2027). Apply for MOScholars through an EAO.
Homeschooling in Missouri
Missouri takes a "freedom with structure" approach — no notification or state oversight, but with hour and record requirements:
- No registration requiredMissouri does not require notice of intent, and the state does not register or monitor homeschools (families may optionally file a declaration of enrollment)
- 1,000 hours per yearProvide 1,000 hours of instruction, with at least 600 in core subjects (reading, math, social studies, language arts, science) — and at least 400 of those core hours at the home
- Keep recordsMaintain a plan book/log, a portfolio of work samples, and a record of grades/evaluations
- No testingNo standardized testing is required
Missouri homeschool parents set their own graduation requirements and issue their own diplomas (or students may earn a HiSET equivalency). Home-educating families can also participate in MOScholars via the FPE category (with program requirements). See our Homeschooling toolkit, and review the requirements with the DESE.
The Missouri Assessment Program
Missouri public schools use the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) — testing English language arts and mathematics (grades 3–8) and science (grades 5 and 8) — plus MAP End-of-Course (EOC) exams in high school (in subjects such as English II, Algebra I, Biology, Government, and American History).
Homeschooled students are not part of the MAP (though MOScholars participants must take a nationally normed assessment). See the DESE assessment pages for current details.
Earning a Missouri high school diploma
Missouri requires a state minimum of 24 units for a high school diploma — generally 4 English/language arts, 3 mathematics, 3 science, 3 social studies, 1 fine arts, 1 physical education, 0.5 health, 0.5 personal finance, and electives. Missouri also requires students to pass tests on the U.S. and Missouri constitutions and American history/institutions, plus a civics exam (the Missouri Civics Education Initiative).
- State minimum24 units
- Personal financeA required half-credit
- Constitution & civicsRequired tests on the constitutions plus a civics exam
- Local additionsDistricts may require more
Special education & gifted
Missouri serves students with disabilities under the federal IDEA, providing eligible students a free appropriate public education through an IEP in the least restrictive environment, with full procedural safeguards overseen by the DESE. For the youngest children, Missouri's First Steps program provides early intervention (birth–3).
On gifted education, Missouri does not mandate gifted and talented programs. The state approves and helps fund gifted programs for districts that choose to offer them, but it is a local decision — so availability varies widely. See our Special Education and Gifted & Talented toolkits, and verify with the DESE.
How Missouri measures schools
Missouri does not use A–F letter grades. Instead, it evaluates schools and districts through the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6), publishing an Annual Performance Report (APR) — a score reflecting the percentage of possible points earned across measures such as academic achievement and growth, graduation rate, college/career readiness, and continuous improvement.
Because Missouri emphasizes a points-based performance report rather than a single grade, families should read the APR alongside a school visit (see our Choosing the Right School toolkit). Explore Missouri school and district data (via the Missouri Comprehensive Data System) through the DESE, and find schools in our directory.
Immunizations & school entry
To enroll in a Missouri school, students must show proof of required immunizations per the schedule set by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, or a valid exemption. Requirements follow the state schedule, with additional doses at certain grades (including 8th- and 12th-grade entry).
Missouri allows medical exemptions and religious exemptions (via the state exemption form) — it does not offer a broad personal-belief/philosophical exemption. Confirm current requirements with Missouri DHSS and your school district before enrolling.
The A+ Scholarship & state aid
Missouri's best-known program is the A+ Scholarship — which can make community college or technical school tuition free for graduates of A+ designated high schools who meet requirements (attendance, GPA, a set number of tutoring/mentoring hours, and more). Missouri also offers the merit Bright Flight scholarship (for high ACT/SAT scorers), the need-based Access Missouri grant, and the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant (for adults in high-demand fields).
Students apply by filing the FAFSA and meeting each program's requirements by the deadlines. Use our Net Price, SAI Estimator, and Award Letter tools to plan costs, and see programs via the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
Colleges & universities in Missouri
Missouri's public higher education includes the University of Missouri System — four campuses anchored by the flagship University of Missouri (Mizzou) in Columbia, plus UMKC (Kansas City), Missouri S&T (Rolla), and UM–St. Louis — along with other public universities such as Missouri State, Truman State, and Southeast Missouri State, and a network of community colleges. Together they offer degrees from certificates through doctorates, with transfer pathways.
Missouri is also home to notable private institutions (Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, and more). Explore Missouri's colleges and universities in our directory.
Becoming a teacher in Missouri
Missouri certifies teachers through the DESE, and — unlike Praxis states — candidates take the Missouri Content Assessments (MoCA), part of the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments (MEGA), after completing an approved preparation program. Missouri issues an Initial Professional Certificate that advances to a Career Continuous Professional Certificate with experience, and offers alternative routes for career changers.
Missouri also provides reciprocity for many out-of-state educators. See our Teacher Certification, Praxis, and Job & Interview Tips for Educators toolkits, and the DESE educator certification pages for specifics.
Where to get the authoritative details
Requirements change — this guide is a well-organized starting point, not the final authority. For the current, official word, go straight to the source:
Also essential: your local school district office (for enrollment and open enrollment), the MOScholars program (for ESAs), your school counselor, and the K12 Academics toolkits linked throughout this page.