Missouri
U.S.
Rank
Score:
78%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#16
Despite the existence of multiple authorizers and reasonable autonomy for schools, the Show-Me state has a lot of work to do. First, the law still restricts charters either to Kansas City and St. Louis, or to districts which have lost accreditation, meaning students whose schools don’t work for them regardless of where they live cannot avail themselves of the lifesaving opportunities charters offer in thousands of communities nationwide. It remains the only state that has such stringent geographic restrictions, despite a huge need. The state also limits charters to a highly inequitable funding stream.
Law passed: 1998
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 37
Number of charter students: 25,634
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No, but there are geographic restrictions on the types of districts that can have charters.
Virtual charters allowed? Yes. New rules adopted in 2022 require that virtual school programs provide regular progress reports for each student at least four times per school year to the school district or charter school, a much more onerous accountability requirement than non-virtual schools are required to report.
AUTHORIZERS: Multiple authorizers, including local school boards, the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, and universities. Active university authorizers include the University of Central Missouri-Warrensburg, University of Missouri-Columbia, Saint Louis University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University. Together they authorize 26 schools. The Missouri Charter Public School Commission which was added as an uber-authorizer several years ago adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. It can sponsor charter schools in Kansas City Public Schools district, St. Louis Public Schools district, any unaccredited district and any district provisionally accredited for 3 or more years and all approved charter applications must be submitted to the state board of education, which then approves or denies.
Denied applications to local or university authorizers or the commission can appeal to the state board.
GROWTH: Minimal growth from two years ago, the state’s charter sector is largely limited to Kansas City and St. Louis as a result of the original law restricting charters to these areas. Because charter schools are prohibited from serving more than 35% of public school students in accredited school districts with 1,500 or more students, potential for more spaces is limited.
OPERATIONS:Charter schools enjoy a blanket waiver from most non-safety and standards rules and regulations governing traditional public schools and 20% of charter school teachers are exempt from certification in Missouri if they are working towards certification and have expertise in the content area. A 2022 law regulates the composition of governing board members to residents of the state and says that any charter management companies must be incorporated as nonprofit corporations and their various schools’ test scores be posted on their websites, all nuisance actions entirely unrelated to good education and opportunity.
EQUITY: SSchool districts are required to direct to charter schools their per-pupil operations funding for each student as well as commensurate state and federal funding. However, because of a change in the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. The state department of education retains 1.5 percent of state and local funding and passes that on to authorizers for administrative fees. There is no per-pupil facilities funding.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#17
In July 2021 the state passed their first school choice program, an Education Savings Account Program. Although this is a positive advancement, the program has barriers to eligibility that need to be knocked down to give all students opportunity.
Law enacted: 2021
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 0
Types of programs: Education Savings Account
Education Savings Account
Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program
In 2021 Missouri enacted its first school choice program in the state, and the second tax-credit ESA in the nation (it is funded by tax credits instead of through state funding formulas.) Qualified students are Missouri residents residing in a county with a charter form of government; or a city with a population of at least 30,000, who either have an IEP or live in a household whose total income does not exceed 200 percent of the income that qualifies a student for free and reduced-price lunches, and who attended a public school for at least one semester during the past 12 months or is entering kindergarten or first grade. Total tax credits in any given year cannot exceed $50 million; this amount may be adjusted for inflation with a maximum cap of $75 million. The average scholarship value per pupil will be up to $6,375, around half of the average per-pupil funding amount for traditional public schools. The program is projected to only serve 0.6% of the state’s K-12 population.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#38
Considers student growth data as a “significant” factor in evaluation, and requires elementary teacher candidates to pass multi-content tests (2020).
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 69%
General Teacher Preparation 77%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 58%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 85%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 67%
Hiring 65%
Retaining Effective Teachers 69%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 73%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%
Score:
78%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#16
Despite the existence of multiple authorizers and reasonable autonomy for schools, the Show-Me state has a lot of work to do. First, the law still restricts charters either to Kansas City and St. Louis, or to districts which have lost accreditation, meaning students whose schools don’t work for them regardless of where they live cannot avail themselves of the lifesaving opportunities charters offer in thousands of communities nationwide. It remains the only state that has such stringent geographic restrictions, despite a huge need. The state also limits charters to a highly inequitable funding stream.
Law passed: 1998
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 37
Number of charter students: 25,634
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No, but there are geographic restrictions on the types of districts that can have charters.
Virtual charters allowed? Yes. New rules adopted in 2022 require that virtual school programs provide regular progress reports for each student at least four times per school year to the school district or charter school, a much more onerous accountability requirement than non-virtual schools are required to report.
AUTHORIZERS: Multiple authorizers, including local school boards, the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, and universities. Active university authorizers include the University of Central Missouri-Warrensburg, University of Missouri-Columbia, Saint Louis University, Southeast Missouri State University, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University. Together they authorize 26 schools. The Missouri Charter Public School Commission which was added as an uber-authorizer several years ago adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. It can sponsor charter schools in Kansas City Public Schools district, St. Louis Public Schools district, any unaccredited district and any district provisionally accredited for 3 or more years and all approved charter applications must be submitted to the state board of education, which then approves or denies.
Denied applications to local or university authorizers or the commission can appeal to the state board.
GROWTH: Minimal growth from two years ago, the state’s charter sector is largely limited to Kansas City and St. Louis as a result of the original law restricting charters to these areas. Because charter schools are prohibited from serving more than 35% of public school students in accredited school districts with 1,500 or more students, potential for more spaces is limited.
OPERATIONS:Charter schools enjoy a blanket waiver from most non-safety and standards rules and regulations governing traditional public schools and 20% of charter school teachers are exempt from certification in Missouri if they are working towards certification and have expertise in the content area. A 2022 law regulates the composition of governing board members to residents of the state and says that any charter management companies must be incorporated as nonprofit corporations and their various schools’ test scores be posted on their websites, all nuisance actions entirely unrelated to good education and opportunity.
EQUITY: SSchool districts are required to direct to charter schools their per-pupil operations funding for each student as well as commensurate state and federal funding. However, because of a change in the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. The state department of education retains 1.5 percent of state and local funding and passes that on to authorizers for administrative fees. There is no per-pupil facilities funding.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#17
In July 2021 the state passed their first school choice program, an Education Savings Account Program. Although this is a positive advancement, the program has barriers to eligibility that need to be knocked down to give all students opportunity.
Law enacted: 2021
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 0
Types of programs: Education Savings Account
Education Savings Account
Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program
In 2021 Missouri enacted its first school choice program in the state, and the second tax-credit ESA in the nation (it is funded by tax credits instead of through state funding formulas.) Qualified students are Missouri residents residing in a county with a charter form of government; or a city with a population of at least 30,000, who either have an IEP or live in a household whose total income does not exceed 200 percent of the income that qualifies a student for free and reduced-price lunches, and who attended a public school for at least one semester during the past 12 months or is entering kindergarten or first grade. Total tax credits in any given year cannot exceed $50 million; this amount may be adjusted for inflation with a maximum cap of $75 million. The average scholarship value per pupil will be up to $6,375, around half of the average per-pupil funding amount for traditional public schools. The program is projected to only serve 0.6% of the state’s K-12 population.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#38
Considers student growth data as a “significant” factor in evaluation, and requires elementary teacher candidates to pass multi-content tests (2020).
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 69%
General Teacher Preparation 77%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 58%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 85%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 67%
Hiring 65%
Retaining Effective Teachers 69%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 73%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 62%
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
The Missouri Connect & Learn Initiative was launched by the Office of the Governor, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the non-profit Education SuperHighway to ensure that school districts have internet access. This program gives school districts technical assistance and upgrades to make sure that all schools have infrastructure, bandwidth, and wifi connectivity.
The eLearning for Educators program is a grant that provides professional development for more than 2,100 K-12 teachers in the state, mostly in at-risk areas. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, KETC/Channel 9 St. Louis Public Television, Missouri State University, and University of Missouri are partners.
Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program is a state virtual school that was established in 2007 by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. MOCAP gives district, charter, private and homeschool students access to online courses to accelerate their education. MOCAP currently serves more than 1,800 students in grades 9-12, however they are currently working on expanding the program to K-12. MOCAP is not an online high school that grants diplomas, they offer supplemental courses that students can then apply to their transcript.
Missouri’s school districts – Liberty 53 Public Schools, and Springfield Public Schools -are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 37,000 students access to digital learning. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: 97.3% of students in Missouri can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.
Missouri does not have any policies to foster personalized learning, although some charter schools in the state are using personalized learning.
Governor Parson provided updates regularly regarding Missouri school closures; schools were first closed on March 19th, and such closures were extended through the end of the school year on April 9th. Missouri paid particular attention to access to devices and the internet. They did not require plans from districts, but did strongly encourage supporting student learning in the way that best suited the students.
Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven emphasized the need to empower district innovation and creativity: “School services should continue through the last day of school in each school district, as pre-established by the school calendar approved by the local school board. We know remote teaching and learning looks different in every district, so we are simply asking our school leaders to continue to be creative.”
Some districts initially sent school buses to neighborhoods to provide wifi hotspots for students and provided schoolwork online, on USB drives, and as paper copies – whatever worked best for each student. The state worked to solve the connectivity problems and also provided guidance on remote learning plans and other resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools on the state department of education site.
The state required districts to open by August 24 with part- or full-time in-person instruction with students required to be in school a minimum of two days per week. Districts can apply for a waiver to delay in-person instruction.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#37
The Missouri Connect & Learn Initiative was launched by the Office of the Governor, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the non-profit Education SuperHighway to ensure that school districts have internet access. This program gives school districts technical assistance and upgrades to make sure that all schools have infrastructure, bandwidth, and wifi connectivity.
The eLearning for Educators program is a grant that provides professional development for more than 2,100 K-12 teachers in the state, mostly in at-risk areas. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, KETC/Channel 9 St. Louis Public Television, Missouri State University, and University of Missouri are partners.
Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program is a state virtual school that was established in 2007 by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. MOCAP gives district, charter, private and homeschool students access to online courses to accelerate their education. MOCAP currently serves more than 1,800 students in grades 9-12, however they are currently working on expanding the program to K-12. MOCAP is not an online high school that grants diplomas, they offer supplemental courses that students can then apply to their transcript.
Missouri’s school districts – Liberty 53 Public Schools, and Springfield Public Schools -are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing over 37,000 students access to digital learning. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: 97.3% of students in Missouri can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.
Missouri does not have any policies to foster personalized learning, although some charter schools in the state are using personalized learning.
Governor Parson provided updates regularly regarding Missouri school closures; schools were first closed on March 19th, and such closures were extended through the end of the school year on April 9th. Missouri paid particular attention to access to devices and the internet. They did not require plans from districts, but did strongly encourage supporting student learning in the way that best suited the students.
Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven emphasized the need to empower district innovation and creativity: “School services should continue through the last day of school in each school district, as pre-established by the school calendar approved by the local school board. We know remote teaching and learning looks different in every district, so we are simply asking our school leaders to continue to be creative.”
Some districts initially sent school buses to neighborhoods to provide wifi hotspots for students and provided schoolwork online, on USB drives, and as paper copies – whatever worked best for each student. The state worked to solve the connectivity problems and also provided guidance on remote learning plans and other resources for students, parents, teachers, and schools on the state department of education site.
The state required districts to open by August 24 with part- or full-time in-person instruction with students required to be in school a minimum of two days per week. Districts can apply for a waiver to delay in-person instruction.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Michael Parson (R)
First term began in 2018 (two-term limit)
Governor Mike Parson was elected in 2018 but has been quiet on the subject of parent power and educational choice. We have also not seen or heard a lot of push for growth in innovation, and changes in how students learn and their environments might benefit from both.
The House and Senate here are both Republican controlled yet despite little allegiance to the union, expanding educational opportunities in Missouri has been an impossible task. In 2019, an ESA bill and a tax credit bill both seemed to be gaining momentum, but both ultimately stalled in the Senate. Another state where Innovation is also not prominent in discussions other than recognizing the need for digital learning post Covid.
Missouri has a Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendments, and the Missouri Supreme Court has issued restrictive interpretations, not prohibiting educational choice programs, but shedding doubt on their constitutionality under current interpretations.
School report cards can be found under the School Data subheading on Missouri’s DOE website. While the report card contains a lot of data, the report cards are not very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Report cards are comprehensive and up-to-date, but are somewhat cumbersome, requiring users to flip through 22 different tabs and scroll through small tables to locate the information they are looking for.
Information on charter schools can be easily found on the main page, which is important for being transparent with all options available to students.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.
Michael Parson (R)
First term began in 2018 (two-term limit)
Governor Mike Parson was elected in 2018 but has been quiet on the subject of parent power and educational choice. We have also not seen or heard a lot of push for growth in innovation, and changes in how students learn and their environments might benefit from both.
The House and Senate here are both Republican controlled yet despite little allegiance to the union, expanding educational opportunities in Missouri has been an impossible task. In 2019, an ESA bill and a tax credit bill both seemed to be gaining momentum, but both ultimately stalled in the Senate. Another state where Innovation is also not prominent in discussions other than recognizing the need for digital learning post Covid.
Missouri has a Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendments, and the Missouri Supreme Court has issued restrictive interpretations, not prohibiting educational choice programs, but shedding doubt on their constitutionality under current interpretations.
School report cards can be found under the School Data subheading on Missouri’s DOE website. While the report card contains a lot of data, the report cards are not very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Report cards are comprehensive and up-to-date, but are somewhat cumbersome, requiring users to flip through 22 different tabs and scroll through small tables to locate the information they are looking for.
Information on charter schools can be easily found on the main page, which is important for being transparent with all options available to students.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.