Students in Missouri schools get report cards — and soon, school districts will too.
Governor Mike Kehoe said he’s signed a new executive order that will require every district in the state to receive a letter grade.
“The real test of Missouri’s education system should be whether students are learning whether they can read, write and do math,” said Kehoe. “Our school grade card will accomplish that using a familiar A through F grading scale to clearly identify academic performance.”
Kehoe said the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will release the data each year in a clear, easy‑to‑understand format — giving parents a simple way to see how their schools are performing.
Governor Kehoe is also urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow open enrollment in the state’s public schools.
Open enrollment would let K-12 public schools decide for themselves if they want students from neighboring districts to enroll in their district.
Kehoe said he believes this move is the next step in expanding school choice in the Show-Me State.
“Open enrollment gives families the freedom to choose the public school that best meets their child’s needs, regardless of their ZIP code,” said Kehoe. “It’s about fairness. It’s about access, and it’s about making sure no child’s future is limited by their address.”
Kehoe is proposing $7.5 million to make open enrollment a reality as soon as possible.
“Again, open enrollment is not about weakening public education,” said Kehoe. “It’s about strengthening it because when families have choices, schools are pushed to innovate. They’re pushed to improve and respond to the needs of the students they serve.”
Rep. Kem Smith, D-Florissant, a longtime teacher, said open enrollment would not improve school quality.
“Open enrollment creates winners and losers,” she said. “I know that this body is looking for a way to improve education, to hold schools more accountable. Open enrollment is not the answer.”
For the past five years, open enrollment has been a recurring debate at the Missouri Capitol, but it has yet to make it through the Senate.
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