district-spotlight
Joplin's Comeback: From 75 Percent to 96 Percent in Four Years
Joplin Schools hit a trough of 75.1 percent in 2021 before surging to 96.5 percent by 2025, including an 8.4-point leap in the final year.
Missouri
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Missouri, grounded in Missouri Department of Education data.
KC Black Students Graduated Above St. Louis White Students in 2025
Black students in Kansas City 33 graduated at 89.1 percent in Missouri's 2025 four-year cohort, 9.3 points above white students in St. Louis City. The comparison favored St. Louis in 2019.
Grandview C-4: Six Straight Years of Declining Graduation Rates
Grandview C-4's graduation rate has fallen every year since 2019, dropping from 82.7 percent to 72.5 percent while neighboring suburban districts hit record highs.
Only 31% of Missouri Districts Have Recovered from COVID
Six years after the pandemic, 371 Missouri school districts remain below their pre-COVID enrollment. The combined deficit exceeds 46,000 students.
Missouri Students Need Less Extra Time: The Vanishing Gap Between Four-Year and Five-Year Rates
The gap between Missouri's 4-year and 5-year graduation rates shrank from 2.1 points to 0.5 points, suggesting improvements are genuine rather than students being shifted to extended timelines.
More Coverage
equity
Missouri's White-Black Graduation Gap Narrows Below Eight Points for the First Time
The gap between white and Black graduation rates in Missouri fell to 7.8 percentage points in 2025, driven by Black student gains that outpaced white students by more than 2 to 1.
graduation-rate
Nearly Four in Ten Missouri Districts Hit All-Time High Graduation Rates
179 of Missouri's 455 districts posted their highest-ever graduation rate in 2025, including 13 that hit 100 percent with meaningful cohort sizes.
school-choice
A Law Turned Three Rural Districts Into Virtual Giants
After Missouri removed enrollment barriers in 2022, three small districts hosting virtual academies grew by up to 559%, reshaping the state's enrollment map.
district-spotlight
St. Louis City: Stuck at 70 Percent While the Rest of Missouri Soars
Missouri's graduation rate hit an all-time high, but St. Louis City remains trapped at 70 percent with a collapsing Hispanic rate and a shrinking cohort.
equity
Two Cities, Two Trajectories: Kansas City Surges Past St. Louis
Kansas City 33 and St. Louis City were within 2 points of each other in 2019. By 2025, an 18-point chasm had opened between Missouri's two largest urban districts.
enrollment
One in Three Missouri Districts at Lowest Enrollment Ever
174 of Missouri's 554 school districts hit all-time low enrollment in 2026, spanning rural towns, inner-ring suburbs, and urban cores alike.
district-spotlight
Springfield's Six-Year Streak: From 87 Percent to a Record 99 Percent
Springfield R-XII improved its graduation rate every year since 2019, reaching 98.9 percent with a 2,017-student cohort. It now leads all large Missouri districts.
district-spotlight
Normandy Lost More Than Half Its Students. The State Gave It Back.
Normandy Schools Collaborative fell from 5,585 to 2,589 students over 25 years, a 53.6% decline driven by accreditation loss and state takeover.
district-spotlight
Kansas City Schools Lost 60% of Its Students. Then It Started Growing.
After losing 60% of its students, Kansas City Public Schools has posted three years of growth, fueled by immigrant families.
graduation-rate
Missouri Hits an All-Time High: 92.7 Percent of Students Graduate on Time
Missouri's four-year graduation rate reached 92.7 percent in 2025, the highest on record, with a growing cohort that produced nearly 4,000 more graduates than in 2019.
