Missouri’s Education Overhaul: Historic Funding & Innovative Reforms Transform Public Schools

In 2025, Missouri embarked on a transformative journey for its public education system, marking a year of unprecedented progress, innovation, and collaborative efforts. As the state looks ahead to 2026, the foundation laid promises a brighter future for students, educators, and communities alike. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been at the forefront of these initiatives, demonstrating a clear commitment to fostering an environment where every student can thrive.

Meaningful Gains and Enhanced Accountability

The bedrock of Missouri’s educational resurgence is evident in the significant improvements reported across its public schools. According to DESE’s Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2024-25 school year, more than 91 percent of Missouri public schools now meet or exceed statewide standards. This isn’t just a statistical anomaly; it reflects tangible progress, with over 310 public schools improving their APR scores compared to the previous year. Crucially, attendance rates, graduation rates, and Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores have all shown a positive upward trend. With over 92% of students—approximately 785,000 individuals—attending fully accredited public schools, the state is demonstrating a robust and reliable educational infrastructure.

Beyond traditional metrics, Missouri is actively reshaping how student progress is measured. The U.S. Department of Education approved DESE to pilot an innovative statewide assessment program. This forward-thinking approach moves beyond the confines of a single end-of-year test, instead offering modular assessments administered throughout the school year. The goal is to provide timely, actionable feedback aligned with Missouri Learning Standards in English language arts and mathematics, allowing educators to adapt their strategies more effectively and support students precisely when they need it most.

Historic Investments and Modernized Funding

The ambitious reforms wouldn’t be possible without substantial financial backing, and 2025 saw historic investments in Missouri’s education system. Governor Kehoe signed the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which includes fully funding the foundation formula with an additional $500 million. This commitment extends to transportation, which received a $15 million increase, and a $30 million allocation for the small schools grant. Perhaps most impactful for educators, the budget invests $33.4 million in teacher baseline salaries, a critical step toward attracting and retaining top talent.

Alongside these historic appropriations, the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, appointed by Governor Kehoe and led by DESE, is diligently working to create a more equitable and effective funding structure for K-12 education. By the end of 2026, the Task Force will present recommendations aimed at ensuring every public school student in Missouri is supported with adequate resources, an initiative that could fundamentally redefine educational equity across the state.

Empowering Educators and Strengthening the Workforce

Recognizing that a strong education system is built on dedicated educators, Missouri has taken pioneering steps to support its teaching force. The state proudly launched the nation’s first Statewide Educator Job Board, a groundbreaking platform that aggregates all teacher postings across Missouri. This ‘one-stop-shop’ has already seen over 22,500 users, with nearly 1,000 job seekers utilizing it weekly. Its intelligent matching feature has resulted in more than 150 unique hires, many filling crucial vacancies in schools that previously faced staffing challenges, as noted by DESE.

The commitment to educators extends beyond recruitment. Missouri also released its first-ever Teacher Recruitment & Retention Playbook, developed by DESE and the Community Training and Assistance Center. This nationally recognized resource outlines evidence-based strategies to improve teacher retention, a goal that is already bearing fruit. Last year alone, nearly 1,000 more teachers returned to classrooms, and enrollment in teacher education programs has steadily climbed, with an increase of over 3,200 students in the past three years. This trend indicates a renewed interest in the teaching profession, bolstered by the state’s proactive support.

Streamlining Child Care and Enhancing Career Pathways

The state’s holistic approach to education and family support is further demonstrated through significant reforms in child care and career development. In response to Executive Order 25-15, DESE’s Office of Childhood (OCC) diligently reviewed child care licensing regulations, ultimately recommending the removal of nearly 12% of rules. This initiative aims to reduce duplication, improve clarity, and strengthen support for both families and providers, making quality child care more accessible and less burdensome for those offering it.

Furthermore, OCC successfully reconstructed its payment calculator and tackled a backlog of over 1,700 child care providers with 34,690 Payment Resolution Requests in January 2025. This critical reconstruction now allows providers to be paid in real time, stabilizing an essential sector for working families. In parallel, DESE and the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development delivered an Executive Report to the Governor’s Office with comprehensive recommendations to improve career and technical education (CTE) delivery systems. These recommendations focus on strengthening work-based learning, expanding early career exploration, and strategic marketing to promote CTE, ensuring students are well-prepared for the modern workforce.

The success of these initiatives is already visible in the performance of Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), which ranks in the top 20% nationally across all five Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act performance measures. Missouri VR finished the program year 2024 impressively, ranking 7th in measurable skill gain rate, 6th in employment rate second quarter after exit, and 2nd in credential rate nationally, showcasing the tangible impact of robust vocational programs.

Reimagining Special Education and Future-Proofing Data

Addressing the needs of all students, the State Board unanimously approved the initial step in the ‘MSSD Reimagined’ plan for the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled. This reorganization, stemming from a two-year review, seeks to strengthen educational opportunities for MSSD students and improve special education practices statewide. The initial phase includes the permanent closure of 12 buildings by the end of the 2025-2026 school year, paving the way for more effective and integrated learning environments.

Behind the scenes, DESE is setting a strong foundation for data improvement, having completed the initial step of creating a data lake to house departmental data. This crucial infrastructure will enable the department to provide quality data more efficiently to educators, families, and business leaders through dashboards and chat boxes, fostering data-driven decision-making across the state. The department also continues to seek feedback to refresh its Statewide Education Strategic Plan, engaging over 100 Missourians in the development of the next plan, including a new initiative creating the Transforming Schools workgroup focused on improving the lowest-performing public schools.

As Missouri steps into 2026, its educational priorities remain clear: assessing all students for literacy, increasing high-academic performance, improving attendance rates, supporting lowest-performing schools, enhancing data quality, expanding access to quality child care and early learning, investing in highly qualified educators with competitive salaries, and providing guidance on AI technology. These goals, built upon the substantial achievements of 2025, underscore a state committed to continuous improvement and educational excellence.

Missouri’s comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to education reform in 2025, characterized by significant financial investment, innovative program development, and a deep commitment to both student and educator success, positions the state as a national leader in building a resilient and future-ready public education system.