Education (K-12) and Special Needs

St. Louis prides itself on its award-winning school systems, which have produced countless successful graduates who have gone on to achieve fulfilling careers, thanks to the strong academic foundation they built growing up here.

The St. Louis area features a great many public school districts and numerous private elementary and secondary schools. Over 350 private schools represent a wide range of both non-sectarian and religious organizations enrolling over 80,000 students in Greater St. Louis. These include more than 70 non-sectarian, over 50 Lutheran, and more than 150 Catholic schools — ensuring that no matter where you live in the area, there are multiple options for quality education in a school that fits your needs.  

For additional information on independent schools, visit  the web site of Independent Schools of St. Louis, a non-profit professional association of 38 independently governed elementary and secondary schools throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Although there are too many schools in the St. Louis area to list, highlighted below are the largest St. Louis area public school districts and the largest area independent private schools, ranked by the St. Louis Business Journal by 2007-2008 enrollment.

Public School Districts

There are 151 different school districts in the St. Louis, MO-IL MSA and 871 public schools. All districts are funded by local tax levies with varying assessment rates. Municipalities play a central role, with the local tax base of each school district funding new and existing educational programs and services, as well as providing maintenance and upkeep to the facilities.

Many St. Louis MSA schools provide additional programs for gifted students, special programs for challenged students, and magnet or charter schools for children seeking a non-traditional learning environment.

In 2009, nine public high schools in the St. Louis region ranked best in the nation according to Newsweek's "The Complete List of the 1,500 Top U.S. High Schools." The magazine ranked 1,500 public high schools (the top 6 percent) across America. The local schools and rankings are as follows: Metro Academic and Classical (97), Ladue Horton Watkins (263), Clayton (379), Lafayette (564), Eureka (633), Marquette (709), Lindbergh (715), Rockwood Summit (1010), and Parkway West (1476).

McKinley Classical Jr. Academy was named as the No. 1 "Top 5 Public Middle School" in the Midwest on NeighborhoodScout's "America's Top Public Schools" list for 2009. Metro High School ranked No. 1 on the "Top 5 Public High Schools" in the Midwest category on the same list.

Largest St. Louis Area Public School Districts 1. Special School District of St. Louis County 2. St. Louis Public Schools 3. Rockwood School District 4. Hazelwood School District 5. Fort Zumwalt School District 6. Francis Howell School District 7. Parkway School District 8. Ferguson-Florissant School District 9. Fox C-6 School District 10. Wentzville R-IV School District 11. Mehlville School District 12. East St. Louis School District 189 13. Edwardsville Community School District No. 7 14. Granite City Community Unit School District No. 9 15. Riverview Gardens School District 16. Alton School District No. 11 17. Collinsville Unit No. 10 School District 18. Ritenour School District 19. Pattonville School District 20. Lindbergh School District 21. Normandy School District 22. School District City of St. Charles R-VI 23. Kirkwood School District 24. Belleville Township High School District 201 25. Cahokia Unit School District 187 Source: "2009 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2009, p. 63. Note: Ranked by 2007-2008 enrollment.

Private School Districts

There are 370 private schools in the St. Louis, MO-IL MSA. Many long-established and strong independent schools exist, as well as an active parochial school network. The St. Louis region ranks nationally for having one of the largest percentages of enrollment in Catholic parochial schools, as measured by the number of registered Catholics in the St. Louis area.

Largest St. Louis Area Independent Private Elementary Schools 1. Academy of the Sacred Heart 2. Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS) 3. Forsyth School 4. Villa Duchesne/Oak Hill School 5. New City School 6. Community School 7. Chesterfield Day School 8. Andrews Academy 9. Rossman School 10. The College School 11. Gateway Academy 12. Wilson School 13. Visitation Academy 14. Rohan Woods School 15. Governor French Academy 16. City Academy 17. Solomon Schecter Day School of St. Louis 18. The St. Michael School 19. H.F. Epstein Hebrew Academy 20. Cornerstone Academy 20. Providence Christian Academy 22. The Saul Mirowitz Day School-Reform Jewish Academy 22. Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities 24. Chesterfield Montessori School 24. Linda Vista Catholic School 26. The Fulton School at St. Albans Source: "2009 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2009, p. 65. Note: Ranked by enrollment, kindergarten through 6th grade.

Largest St. Louis Area Independent Private Secondary Schools 1. De Smet Jesuit High School 2. St. Louis University High School 3. Christian Brothers College High School 4. Westminster Christian Academy 5. Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS)            6. Chaminade College Preparatory School 7. Ursuline Academy 8. St. Joseph’s Academy 9. Nerinx Hall 10. St. John Vianney 11. John Burroughs School 12. Cor Jesu Academy 13. Incarnate Word Academy 14. Villa Duchesne/Oak Hill School 15. Whitfield School 16. Visitation Academy 17. St. Louis Priory School 18. Notre Dame High School 19. Marquette Catholic High School 20. Crossroads School 21. St. Elizabeth Academy 22. Gateway Academy 23. Logos School 24. Tower Grove Christian School 25. Barat Academy Source: "2009 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2009, p. 67. Note: Ranked by enrollment, 7th grade through 12th grade.

Special Needs

In addition, the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) is one of the nation’s leading providers of special education services, educating over 27,000 students. SSD provides services to students in 265 public schools in 23 districts in St. Louis, which allows 97 percent of the students who receive SSD services to attend a school in their local district.

St. Louis is home to several nationally renowned educational facilities for children with sight and hearing challenges.

• The St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, founded in 1837, was the first school for the deaf west of the Mississippi, and became one of the first in the world to teach deaf children to talk. The school was also the first to offer an educational program for infants. St. Joseph, which draws families to St. Louis from all over the nation, continues its commitment to advanced oral education as a research partner to several universities in studies on deaf education.

• The Central Institute for the Deaf, established in 1914, is world-renowned for its innovative and comprehensive training of teachers. The country’s first deaf education teacher training program to affiliate with a university, it also began the country’s first master’s degree program in deaf education. Like St. Joseph, it draws families from all over the country.

• Founded by Jean Sachar Moog, St. Louis’ Moog Center for Deaf Education teaches deaf children to talk through an award-winning curriculum and serves as a model for Moog schools established in other cities. The center offers an oral school for children ages three to nine, and a family school for children under three and their families.

• Established in 1851, the Missouri School for the Blind became the first in the western hemisphere to teach the reading and writing of Braille. Today the school offers specialized courses in Braille, orientation, mobility and independent living skills. Students also experience work training in a competitive and supportive environment with local businesses.

For additional information on Higher Education in the St. Louis region, click here.