Missouri schools show improvement in annual performance reports

Many Missouri public schools have shown big gains in their annual performance reports.

Key highlights for the 2024-25 school year APR data include:

• More than 92 percent of Missouri public school students attend schools that meet or exceed state expectations.
• APR scores from more than 310 public schools improved in 2025 when compared to 2024.
• Missouri’s attendance rate, graduation rate, and Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores continue to improve.
• English Language Arts MAP scores showed slight improvements for most grade levels.
• Mathematics MAP scores showed improvements overall, apart from grades 4 and 5.

“Although the trendline shows slow and steady progress, there is still work to do,” Commissioner Eslinger said. “We know that ambition is the path to success, but success is only achieved through persistence. We remain diligent in working with our school systems until every child reaches their potential.”

The Missouri Independent reports that Neosho saw one of the biggest gains, going from 61.5% in 2024 to 85.5% this year.

Superintendent Jim Davis, told The Independent that the improvement is largely because of a district-wide focus on proficiency and literacy. “There was a lot of work that was put into it to get us to take that jump,” he told The Independent, “but we’re proud of that, and we’re expecting to continue moving up with the systems that we built here.”

Joplin saw it’s scores go up from 72.4% to 81%.

The report shows that 29 school districts and 18 charter schools are still not meeting expectations. The marks will not be used to decide whether districts are fully accredited this year but they could be next year.

MSIP is the state’s system for reviewing public school performance and classifying school districts. It outlines expectations for school practices and student outcomes, with the goal of each student graduating ready for success in college, career, and life. DESE considers multiple years of performance data prior to making classification recommendations. The APR will not be used to lower classification designations for school districts this year.

Step-by-step instructions on accessing the 2025 APR data are available to help users navigate the different viewing options for the report. Additional resources can be found on DESE’s MSIP 6 webpage.