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Best public high schools in Missouri

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Published 1:25 PM

Child's shoes with a backpack leaning against their legs.

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Best public high schools in Missouri

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Missouri using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.

Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Eureka Senior High School

– Location: Rockwood R-VI School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,719 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A- A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.

Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Central High School

– Location: Springfield R-XII School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,490 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A- A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#28. Blue Springs High School

– Location: Blue Springs R-IV School District, MO
– Enrollment: 2,449 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#27. Park Hill High School

– Location: Park Hill School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,859 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.

Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. Lincoln College Preparatory Academy

– Location: Kansas City School District, MO
– Enrollment: 996 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A high school student doing a chemical experiment.

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#25. Francis Howell High School

– Location: Francis Howell School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,878 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.

panitanphoto // Shutterstock

#24. Lee’s Summit Senior High School

– Location: Lee’s Summit R-VII School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,921 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student raising their hand in class.

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#23. Parkway North High School

– Location: Parkway School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,085 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.

ImageFlow // Shutterstock

#22. Blue Springs South High School

– Location: Blue Springs R-IV School District, MO
– Enrollment: 2,248 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. Lindbergh High School

– Location: Lindbergh Schools, MO
– Enrollment: 2,240 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#20. Park Hill South High School

– Location: Park Hill School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,835 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A hallway lined with green lockers.

SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock

#19. Brentwood High School

– Location: Brentwood School District, MO
– Enrollment: 210 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.

sirtravelalot // Shutterstock

#18. Lee’s Summit North High School

– Location: Lee’s Summit R-VII School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,979 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A An empty classroom as viewed from the back.

maroke // Shutterstock

#17. Fort Zumwalt West High School

– Location: Fort Zumwalt R-II School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,831 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.

Studio KIWI // Shutterstock

#16. Staley High School

– Location: North Kansas City School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,783 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.

GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#15. Rockwood Summit Senior High School

– Location: Rockwood R-VI School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,279 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#14. Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School

– Location: Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, MO
– Enrollment: 401 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A Students using microscopes in science class.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#13. Lee’s Summit West High School

– Location: Lee’s Summit R-VII School District, MO
– Enrollment: 2,044 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A High school students studying and reading together in their school library.

Joyseulay // Shutterstock

#12. Pattonville High School

– Location: Pattonville R-3 School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,802 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A Students raising their hands for class participation.

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#11. Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience Magnet High School

– Location: Saint Louis Public Schools, MO
– Enrollment: 315 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.

Canva

#10. Webster Groves High School

– Location: Webster Groves School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,395 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A Two students sharing a book.

Canva

#9. Metro High School

– Location: Saint Louis Public Schools, MO
– Enrollment: 373 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.

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#8. Rock Bridge High School

– Location: Columbia School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,980 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.

Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock

#7. Marquette Senior High School

– Location: Rockwood R-VI School District, MO
– Enrollment: 2,277 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.

LBeddoe // Shutterstock

#6. Parkway Central High School

– Location: Parkway School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,216 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Bookshelves at a high school's library.

Canva

#5. Kirkwood Senior High School

– Location: Kirkwood School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,808 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

#4. Parkway West High School

– Location: Parkway School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,393 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Two rows of red lockers.

Canva

#3. Lafayette High School

– Location: Rockwood R-VI School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,734 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Empty desks in a high school classroom.

Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

#2. Clayton High School

– Location: School District of Clayton, MO
– Enrollment: 881 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A closeup of a student taking notes in class.

Canva

#1. Ladue Horton Watkins High School

– Location: Ladue School District, MO
– Enrollment: 1,324 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

Article Topic Follows: Stacker-Missouri

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