KNOW YOUR STATE

Missouri

Salus populi suprema lex esto

Missouri has a Department of Education, a State Board, and a State Commissioner of Education. The State Board consists of 8 members appointed to 8-year terms.

  • State Board Members: 8 Members; Appointed; 8-year term

  • Education Authorities: DoEd; State Board; State Commissioner of Education

How Missouri Scores on School Choice

Every state sets its own school choice rules, and Missouri is no exception. The NWEF School Choice Index scores Missouri on 17 measures, from open enrollment to education savings accounts, then ranks it against all 50 states. Open any category below to see where Missouri earns points and where it falls short.

Missouri

Rank #24 of 50

Growing

Missouri scores well on online learning. Its biggest gaps are charter school access and private-school options like ESAs and vouchers.

Scored from state law · as of August 2026

You Can Influence Your State's School Choice Score

Your state lawmakers wrote the rules behind this score. Most of them have never seen how Missouri compares to other states.

Submit the form below and we'll send you two ways to find your own lawmakers, plus a short message you can copy, personalize, and send. It takes a couple of minutes.

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Please check your inbox for a list of resources of how you can influence your state's School Choice index.

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