Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the United States, with an estimated population of 6.12 million as of 2019. It is divided into 114 counties and one independent city, St. Louis. Each county is further divided into school districts, with a total of 544 public school districts and over 500 private schools across the state. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) oversees all public schools in Missouri. DESE is also responsible for regulating private schools, as well as providing financial assistance to students from low-income families who attend private schools.
The majority of school districts in Missouri are classified as small to mid-size districts, with less than 10,000 students enrolled in each district. These smaller school districts often operate on a much tighter budget than larger urban school districts, which can make it difficult to provide quality education to students without additional assistance from the state or federal government. However, these small school districts often have a strong sense of community that larger urban areas lack, which can be beneficial for student learning outcomes and overall school performance.
In addition to traditional public schools, there are also several charter schools located throughout Missouri that provide specialized instruction and alternative education programs for students in grades K-12. These charter schools receive funding from both the state and local governments but are able to operate independently from local school boards or other governmental entities. As a result, charter schools are able to offer innovative educational programs tailored specifically to meet their student’s needs more effectively than traditional public schools can typically provide.
There are many public and private high schools in the state of Missouri. It is rather difficult for you to choose one that fits you most. In order for you to better evaluate your choice, we have ranked these high schools based on latest SAT/ACT scores, graduation rates, and state test scores from the Missouri Department of Education. See below for top 41 high schools throughout the state of Missouri.
| # | High Schools | Honor |
| 1 |
Bismarck High School
Bismarck R-V School District St. Francois County Indian Trails Dr Bismarck, MO 63624 Telephone: (573) 734-6111 |
Bronze |
| 2 |
Blue Eye High School
Blue Eye R-V School District Stone County 658 State Hwy EE Blue Eye, MO 65611 Telephone: (417) 779-5331 |
Bronze |
| 3 |
Brentwood High School
Brentwood School District St. Louis County 2221 High School Dr Brentwood, MO 63144 Telephone: (314) 962-3837 |
Bronze |
| 4 |
Campbell High School
Campbell R-II School District Dunklin County 801 S State Rte 53 Campbell, MO 63933 Telephone: (573) 246-2576 |
Bronze |
| 5 |
Cassville High School
Cassville R-IV School District Barry County 1501 Main St Cassville, MO 65625 Telephone: (417) 847-3137 |
Bronze |
| 6 |
Central High School
Central R-III School District St. Francois County 116 Rebel Dr Park Hills, MO 63601 Telephone: (573) 431-1211 |
Bronze |
| 7 |
Central High School
Springfield R-XII School District Greene County 423 E Central Springfield, MO 65802 Telephone: (417) 523-9600 |
Silver |
| 8 |
Central High School
Saint Joseph School District Buchanan County 2602 Edmond Saint Joseph, MO 64501 Telephone: (816) 671-4080 |
Bronze |
| 9 |
Clayton High School
Clayton School District St. Louis County 1 Mark Twain Cir Clayton, MO 63105 Telephone: (314) 854-6600 |
Silver |
| 10 |
Clearwater High School
Clearwater R-I School District Wayne County RR4 Box 1004 Piedmont, MO 63957 Telephone: (573) 223-4524 |
Bronze |
| 11 |
Conway High School
Laclede County R-I School District Laclede County 726 W Jefferson Ave Conway, MO 65632 Telephone: (417) 589-2941 |
Bronze |
| 12 |
Gainesville High School
Gainesville R-V School District Ozark County 160 Bulldog Drive, HC 3 Box 170 Gainesville, MO 65655 Telephone: (417) 679-4200 |
Bronze |
| 13 |
Greenville High School
Greenville R-II School District Wayne County 178 Walnut St Greenville, MO 63944 Telephone: (573) 224-3618 |
Bronze |
| 14 |
Hollister High School
Hollister R-V School District Taney County 2112 State Hwy BB Hollister, MO 65672 Telephone: (417) 243-4045 |
Bronze |
| 15 |
Knox County High School
Knox County R-I School District Knox County RR3 Box 59 Edina, MO 63537 Telephone: (660) 397-2231 |
Bronze |
| 16 |
Lafayette High School
Rockwood R-VI School District St. Louis County 17050 Clayton Rd Wildwood, MO 63011 Telephone: (636) 458-7200 |
Silver |
| 17 |
Lafayette High School
Saint Joseph School District Buchanan County 412 Highland Ave Saint Joseph, MO 64505 Telephone: (816) 671-4220 |
Bronze |
| 18 |
Laquey R-V High School
Laquey R-V School District Pulaski County 27600 Hwy AA Laquey, MO 65534 Telephone: (573) 765-4051 |
Bronze |
| 19 |
Lee’s Summit Senior High School
Lee’s Summit R-VII School District Jackson County 400 SE Blue Pkwy Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 Telephone: (816) 986-2000 |
Bronze |
| 20 |
Lincoln College Preparatory Academy
Kansas City 33 School District Jackson County 2111 Woodland Kansas City, MO 64108 Telephone: (816) 418-3000 |
Silver |
| 21 |
Lindbergh High School
Lindbergh R-VIII School District St. Louis County 4900 S Lindbergh Saint Louis, MO 63126 Telephone: (314) 729-2410 |
Silver |
| 22 |
Malden High School
Malden R-I School District Dunklin County 505 Burkhart St Malden, MO 63863 Telephone: (573) 276-4546 |
Bronze |
| 23 |
Marquette High School
Rockwood R-VI School District St. Louis County 2351 Clarkson Rd Chesterfield, MO 63017 Telephone: (636) 537-4300 |
Silver |
| 24 |
Metro Academic and Classical High School
Saint Louis City School District St. Louis City 4015 McPherson Ave Saint Louis, MO 63108 Telephone: (314) 534-3894 |
Gold: #92 of 100 |
| 25 |
Morgan County High School
Morgan County R-II School District Morgan County 913 W Newton Versailles, MO 65084 Telephone: (573) 378-4697 |
Bronze |
| 26 |
Northview
Special School District of Saint Louis County School District St. Louis County 1520 Derhake Rd Florissant, MO 63033 Telephone: (314) 989-7300 |
Bronze |
| 27 |
Parkview High School
Springfield R-XII School District Greene County 516 W Meadowmere Springfield, MO 65807 Telephone: (417) 523-9200 |
Bronze |
| 28 |
Puxico High School
Puxico R-VIII School District Stoddard County 481 N Bedford St Puxico, MO 63960 Telephone: (573) 222-3175 |
Bronze |
| 29 |
Seneca High School
Seneca R-VII School District Newton County 1110 Neosho St Seneca, MO 64865 Telephone: (417) 776-3926 |
Bronze |
| 30 |
Sherwood High School
Sherwood Cass R-VIII School District Cass County 33300 S Sherwood Dr Creighton, MO 64739 Telephone: (660) 499-2239 |
Bronze |
| 31 |
Skyline High School
Hickory County R-I School District Dallas County RR1 Box 838 Urbana, MO 65767 Telephone: (417) 993-4226 |
Bronze |
| 32 |
Southern High School
Southern Reynolds County R-II School District Reynolds County 1 School St Ellington, MO 63638 Telephone: (573) 663-2291 |
Bronze |
| 33 |
South Shelby High School
Shelby County R-IV School District Shelby County 4154 Hwy 36 Shelbina, MO 63468 Telephone: (573) 588-4163 |
Bronze |
| 34 |
Ste. Genevieve Senior High School
Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District Ste. Genevieve County 715 Washington St Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670 Telephone: (573) 883-4500 |
Bronze |
| 35 |
Stockton High School
Stockton R-I School District Cedar County 906 South St Stockton, MO 65785 Telephone: (417) 276-5141 |
Bronze |
| 36 |
Valley Park Senior High School
Valley Park School District St. Louis County 1 Main St Valley Park, MO 63088 Telephone: (636) 923-3613 |
Bronze |
| 37 |
Van Buren High School
Van Buren R-I School District Carter County 202 W College Van Buren, MO 63965 Telephone: (573) 323-4295 |
Bronze |
| 38 |
Warsaw High School
Warsaw R-IX School District Benton County 20363 Lane of Champions Warsaw, MO 65355 Telephone: (660) 438-7351 |
Bronze |
| 39 |
West Plains Senior High School
West Plains R-VII School District Howell County 602 E Olden West Plains, MO 65775 Telephone: (417) 256-6150 |
Bronze |
| 40 |
Winona High School
Winona R-III School District Shannon County Hwy 19 Winona, MO 65588 Telephone: (573) 325-8101 |
Bronze |
| 41 |
Woodland High School
Woodland R-IV School District Bollinger County RR5 Box 3210 Marble Hill, MO 63764 Telephone: (573) 238-2663 |
Bronze |
Missouri Facts
- The official name of the state is the State of Missouri (“State of Missouri”)
- State region – Northwest Central States, Midwest USA
- State area – 180,533 km 2 (including land – 178,413 km 2 and water surface – 2,120 km 2), 21st place among US states
- State length:
- from north to south – 483 km
- from west to east – 386 km
- The height of the relief of the state above sea level:
- maximum – 540 m
- minimum – 70 m
- State Time Zone – US Central Time Zone
- Date of foundation of the state – August 10, 1821 (24 states in the United States)
- The state capital is Jefferson City.
- The largest city in the state is Kansas City.
- The population of the state is about 6,150,000 people (18th place among US states)
- The population density in the state is about 33.7 people / km 2 (30th place among US states)
- The average household income in the state is about $53,580 (37th place among US states)
- The state motto is Salus populi suprema lex esto (“Let the good of the people be the supreme law”).
- State Nicknames – “Mother of the West”, “Show Me State”, “Cave State”
- State abbreviation – MO