A Majority of Voters Support an A-F Grading Scale for Missouri Schools

By : Abby Medler

The Missouri House just approved a bill (H.B. 2710) that would require the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to publish an annual report card that assigns a letter grade (A-F) to schools across the state. This would replace the already existing Annual Performance Report that DESE currently publishes.

Those in support of the bill argue that the letter grade system will encourage school accountability in a more user-friendly format so that parents, students, and teachers are able to see how their school is performing at a glance.

Opponents to the bill are concerned that a flat letter grade does not accurately depict the complexities of educating children and that it may actually shine a negative light on certain communities and districts. This could then potentially deter teachers from the areas that need them the most.

When Missouri likely voters were polled on the issue, 60% were in support of the A-F scale. The remaining votes were split between opposition (18%) and those that were unsure (22%). The party breakdown tells a similar story.

A majority of Republican and Independent likely voters support the A-F school report card and almost half of Democrats (48%) do too. At least a quarter of Democrats and Independent voters, however, claimed they were unsure. This could point to a lack of clarity around what it would actually look like for Missouri constituents if this bill is passed into law. For this reason, it is critical that schools, parents, and teachers are informed about which student outcomes will be considered in letter grade calculation.

Likely voters' responses to 'There is a proposal for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to publish annual A- F (similar to a report card) for public schools and school districts across the state. Grades will mainly be based on state test results and graduation rates...Do you support or oppose this proposal?’

In this new system, the letter grade a school receives would be determined through a number of factors, including graduation rates, student achievement, and student academic growth in ELA, math, and science assessed through the required Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test. Each of these factors will be weighted differently at the elementary/middle and high school levels.

When Missouri likely voters were polled on the issue, they were additionally asked what grade they would assign their own public school district, taking into account state test results and graduation rates. A majority of respondents (56%) chose “B” or “C”, while only 15% claimed that their school would receive an “A.” Notably, 14% of respondents in the Northwest Missouri region gave their own public school districts an “F,” which is at least double the percent that did so in all remaining Missouri regions.

Likely voters' responses to 'What grade would you give the public school district where you live?’

This blog post was adapted from an analysis on the SLU/YouGov poll site and can be found here.

For more information on voter opinions on education issues, see the full poll results here.

Published March 2026

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