Missouri is moving toward letter-grade report cards for its public schools. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education publicly released its A-F School Grading Framework on August 19, 2026, and the State Board of Education is expected to vote on final approval in September. The system, ordered by Governor Mike Kehoe in January, assigns each public school district, public school, and public charter school a rating of A through F based on a 0-100 point scale. It is not meant to replace Missouri's existing Annual Performance Reports but to sit alongside them, according to DESE.
Framework details
The executive order, signed January 13, 2026, directs that for K-8 schools ratings be based entirely on academic achievement, with the majority of weight on growth measures. DESE's June 30 framework specifies the breakdown: 38 percent academic achievement, 33 percent student growth using the state's current model, and 29 percent growth toward proficiency. For high schools, the formula is 28 percent academic achievement, 28 percent growth, 22 percent on four-year graduation rates, and 22 percent on college and career readiness including ACT scores. A July 16 administrative memo from DESE clarified that a literacy measure, using Lexile scores from foundational reading assessments for grades 1-2 and from Missouri Assessment Program ELA assessments for grades 3-8, is a required element.
Schools that do not test at least 95 percent of their students on required state assessments will have their rating lowered by one letter grade. The system also includes a continuous improvement provision: when 65 percent of schools earn an A or B, the thresholds for earning each letter grade increase by five percentage points in the subsequent school year. Private schools may opt into the system by adopting the state assessment.
Cost and timeline concerns
DESE warned that the compressed timeline could affect data quality. Under the executive order, DESE must provide embargoed grade cards to schools by September 15 each year, and schools must publish them on their websites by September 30. To meet that, the Missouri Assessment Program testing window would need to move up by about two weeks, which DESE said could reduce instructional time and potentially lower scores for schools that test at the end of the window. DESE's plan notes that district leaders will have serious concerns about abbreviated data-correction opportunities, and that the compressed timeline for data collection, validation, and processing may impact the quality of the grade cards, especially in the initial cycle.
Public opinion and board debate
A survey by St. Louis University's PRiME Center found that 60 percent of likely voters in Missouri support the A-F grading system. The Missouri National Education Association opposed the executive order, expressing concern that grades would be based primarily on state-mandated standardized tests. When DESE officials asked the State Board whether report cards should account for student demographics such as race, free or reduced-price lunch status, or English language learner status, board members dismissed the idea. Board member Kerry Casey of Chesterfield indicated that the same standards should apply to all students regardless of demographic factors.
National landscape: adopting and abandoning letter grades
Missouri's move comes as the national picture on A-F school ratings is mixed. A science note prepared by the MOST Policy Initiative for the Missouri General Assembly found that eight states currently use A-F school ratings: Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. But five states eliminated A-F systems between 2015 and 2023: Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia. Virginia repealed its A-F requirement before implementation. Indiana paused A-F ratings in 2018 and approved a new system in March 2026, with initial grades expected by December.
The Education Commission of the States, in a 50-state comparison, notes that no standard method exists for calculating A-F ratings across states. States use point systems, percentage-score averaging, or weighted formulas. Federal law requires states to measure achievement, growth, graduation rates, English language proficiency, and one additional school quality measure, but does not prescribe summative A-F ratings. The MOST Policy Initiative note cites concerns about oversimplification and federal compliance as reasons some states abandoned letter-grade systems.
Texas and Indiana as models
Texas established its A-F Accountability System in 2017. In 2026, 85 percent of Texas campuses achieved a rating of C or above, and 49 percent of high-poverty campuses earned an A or B, up from 47 percent the prior year. The Texas Education Agency reported that the percentage of F-rated campuses declined. Texas does not adjust ratings for student demographics; 15 percent of campuses still received D or F ratings. Texas weights elementary and middle school growth at 50 percent and achievement at 30 percent; high schools weight achievement at 50 percent, college and career readiness at 30 percent, graduation rate at 10 percent, and English language proficiency at 10 percent.
Indiana approved its new A-F system in March 2026, its first since pausing grades in 2018. The system gives students points for passing state tests in reading and math, with additional points for work ethic, diploma attainment, and work-based learning credentials. High school grades weight graduation rate at 10 percent and SAT and ACT proficiency at 10 percent, with the bulk from diploma and honors seal attainment. Indiana plans to use the new system as the sole measure of accountability in a federal flexibility request, and its initial A threshold is set at 85 points before moving to 90 in subsequent cycles.
Research evidence: mixed findings on A-F systems
The evidence on A-F school grading systems is mixed. The MOST Policy Initiative note for the Missouri General Assembly states that no standard method exists for calculating A-F ratings across states, and that five states eliminated such systems between 2015 and 2023 due to concerns about oversimplification and federal compliance issues. Federal law requires states to measure achievement, growth, graduation, English proficiency, and school quality, but does not require summative A-F ratings.
Texas Education Agency data from 2026 shows that 49 percent of high-poverty campuses earned an A or B, up from 47 percent the prior year, and that the percentage of F-rated campuses declined. The agency does not adjust ratings for student demographics. DESE's own implementation plan warns that compressed timelines for data collection, validation, and processing may impact the quality of the grade cards, especially in the initial cycle, and that moving up the testing window by two weeks could lower scores for schools accustomed to more instructional time before testing.