This article concerns Education in Missouri, public and private.

The Missouri State Board of Education has general authority over all public education in the state of Missouri. It is made up of eight citizens appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

Primary and secondary schools

See also List of school districts in Missouri and List of high schools in Missouri

Education is compulsory from ages seven to sixteen in Missouri, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 or junior high school and high school. The public schools system includes kindergarten to 12th grade. District territories are often complex in structure. In some cases, elementary, middle and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district. High school athletics and competitions are governed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association

Missouri State High School Activities Association

The Missouri State High School Activities Association is the governing body for high school activities throughout the state of Missouri...

 (MSHAA). Missouri also introduced a virtual school program called Missouri Virtual Instruction Program

Missouri Virtual Instruction Program

Missouri Virtual Instruction Program is an online accredited school program in the state of Missouri which includes grades K-12. The service has been offered since 2007.-History:The program first launched in August 2007 and had approximately 2,000 students...

 (MoVIP).

Testing in Missouri

The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) is an annual set of mandatory standardized test

Standardized test

A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...

s taken by students in the US state of Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

.

State Content Assessments

Grade-Level Assessment –
Students in grades 3–8 are tested in communication arts and math. Students in grades 5 and 8 are also tested in Science.

End-of-Course –
End-of-Course Assessments are available in Algebra I (required), Algebra II, American History, Biology (required), English I, English II (required), Geometry and Government (required).

State Content Alternate Assessments

MAP-A –
There is also the MAP-Alternate (MAP-A) designed for students with cognitive disabilities who meet grade level and eligibility criteria. Communication arts is assessed at grades 3–8 and 11, math is assessed at grades 3–8 and 10 and science is assessed at grades 5, 8 and 11. Missouri does not have a 2% modified assessment.

State ELP Assessment

WIDA ACCESS –
In 2010, Missouri became the 23rd state to join the WIDA Consortium. Missouri uses the WIDA ACCESS assessment as its English Language Proficiency assessment. Missouri requires all incoming possible ELL students to use the WIDA W-APT screener.

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Missouri
There are a large number of colleges and universities in Missouri. The University of Missouri System is Missouri's statewide public university system. The flagship institution and largest university in the state is the University of Missouri

University of Missouri

The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

 in Columbia

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

. The others in the system are University of Missouri–St. Louis

University of Missouri–St. Louis

The University of Missouri–St. Louis is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System. Established in 1963, it is the newest university in the UM System. , it is the largest university by enrollment in the St. Louis area with 16,548 students...

, University of Missouri–Kansas City

University of Missouri–Kansas City

The University of Missouri–Kansas City is a public university located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It is a branch of the University of Missouri System. Its main campus is in Kansas City's Rockhill neighborhood east of the Country Club Plaza...

 and Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...

.

Notable private institutions of higher learning

Higher Learning

Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...

 in Missouri include Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...

, Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...

, and Rockhurst University

Rockhurst University

Rockhurst University is a private, coeducational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College. The school adheres to the motto etched into the stone of the campus bell tower: "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition." It is one of 28...

 in Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

.

In 1905, the state established a series of normal school

Normal school

A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

s to teach "teaching norms" at colleges in each region of the state. The initial network consisted of Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...

 in Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...

, Missouri State University

Missouri State University

Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...

 (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in Springfield

Springfield, Missouri

Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...

, Truman State University

Truman State University

Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...

 (formerly Northeast Missouri State University) in Kirksville

Kirksville, Missouri

Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...

, Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....

 in Maryville

Maryville, Missouri

Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...

 and University of Central Missouri

University of Central Missouri

The University of Central Missouri is a four-year public institution in Warrensburg, Missouri.- History :...

 (formerly Central Missouri State University) in Warrensburg

Warrensburg, Missouri

Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...

. There are numerous junior colleges, trade schools, church universities and private universities.

Financial aid

The state funds a $2000, renewable merit-based scholarship, Bright Flight

Bright Flight (Missouri Scholarship)

Bright Flight is a Missouri merit-based scholarship in the amount of $1750 per annum to Missouri's qualifying graduating high school seniors who enroll in a Missouri accredited college or university...

, given to the top 3% of Missouri High School graduates who attend a university in-state.