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. To search for private schools in your area, click here. To search for public schools in your area, click here.

 
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 2008-2009 enrollment.

Public School Districts

There are over 150 different school districts in the St. Louis, MO-IL MSA and more than 850 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.

Local school rankings can be viewed here.

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. Fort Zumwalt School District 5. Hazelwood School District 6. Parkway School District 7. Francis Howell School District 8. Wentzville R-IV School District 9. Fox C-6 School District 10. Ferguson-Florissant 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. Lindbergh School District 20. Pattonville School District 21. School District City of St. Charles R-VI 22. Kirkwood School District 23. Belleville Township High School District 201 24. Normandy School District 25. Cahokia Unit School District 187 Source: "2010 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2010, p. 59. Note: Ranked by 2010-2011 enrollment.

Private School Districts

There are over 300 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. Forsyth School 3. Kirk of the Hills Christian Day School 4. Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS) 5. Community School 6. Villa Duchesne/Oak Hill School 7. New City School 8. Living Word Christian Elementary School 9. Rossman School 10. Andrews Academy 11. North County Christian School 12. The College School 13. Wilson School 14. City Academy 15. Chesterfield Day School 16. Chesterfield Montessori School 17. Visitation Academy 18. The St. Michael School of Clayton 19. Governor French Academy 20. Rohan Woods School 21. Solomon Schecter Day School of St. Louis 22. H.F. Epstein Hebrew Academy 23. Cornerstone Academy 24. Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities Source: "2010 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2010, p. 65. Note: Ranked by enrollment, kindergarten through 6th grade.

Largest St. Louis Area Independent Private Secondary Schools 1. St. Louis University High School 2. De Smet Jesuit High School 3. Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS)            4. Westminster Christian Academy 5. Christian Brothers College High School 6. Chaminade College Preparatory School 7. Nerinx Hall 8. St. John Vianney 9. John Burroughs School 10. Ursuline Academy 11. St. Joseph's Academy 12. Cor Jesu Academy 13. Visitation Academy 14. Incarnate Word Academy 15. Living Word Christian High School 16. St. Louis Priory School 17. Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School 18. Whitfield School 19. Marquette Catholic High School 20. Notre Dame High School 21. Barat Academy 22. Crossroads College Preparatory School 23. North County Christian School 24. St. Elizabeth Academy 25. Logos School Source: "2010 Book of Lists" St. Louis Business Journal, 2010, 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 over 250 public schools allowing the vast majority 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.