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Greater
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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.

Total Enrollment
St. Louis, MO-IL MSA  
Number of School Districts

151

Private Schools

370

Public Schools

871

Private Enrollment K-12

84,634

Public Enrollment K-12

431,453

Total MSA Enrollment

516,076

Source: National Center of Education Statistics, 2007-2008.

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.



 
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