Best Public Schools in Jefferson City, MO

Summary:

The city of Jefferson City, Missouri is home to 19 schools, including 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 1 alternative school, all part of the Jefferson City school district. The district is ranked 146 out of 367 districts in Missouri and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

A few schools stand out in the data. Blair Oaks High School and Blair Oaks Middle School, which are part of the Blair Oaks R-II district, have very high test scores and low chronic absenteeism rates compared to the rest of the schools. Clarence Lawson Elementary also stands out with consistently high test scores, ranking in the top 25% of Missouri elementary schools. In contrast, schools like East Elementary have very low proficiency rates.

The data reveals a wide range in performance metrics across the schools. Graduation rates at the two high schools, Jefferson City High and Capital City High School, are both around 90.8%, while chronic absenteeism rates range from around 4-5% at the Blair Oaks schools to over 22% at most other schools. Free/reduced lunch rates also vary significantly, from 8% at the Blair Oaks schools to over 99% at some elementary schools, indicating substantial socioeconomic diversity and inequality within the district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)						MAP Science (2025)		MAP English Language Arts (2025)						MAP Algebra I (2025)	MAP Biology I (2025)	MAP English II (2025)	MAP Algebra II (2025)	MAP English I (2025)	MAP Government (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	MAP Biology I End of Course	MAP English II End of Course	MAP Algebra II End of Course	MAP English I End of Course	MAP Government End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
H Kenneth Kirchner School	Public, Alternative	K-12	1403 Riverside Dr	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Mo Schls For The Sev Disabled	No	No	No	No	(573) 751-7142	16	5	3.2	37.5%	12 (75.0%)	2 (12.5%)	2 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Algoa Correctional Center	Public	7-12	8501 No More Victims Rd.	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Department Of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(573) 751-3911	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Mocap Elem.School	Public, Virtual	K-5	205 Jefferson Street	Jefferson City	65102	Cole County	Mo Virtual Instruction Program	No	No	Yes	No	(573) 751-2453	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Mocap High School	Public, Virtual	6-12	205 Jefferson St	Jefferson City	65102	Cole County	Mo Virtual Instruction Program	No	No	Yes	No	(573) 751-2453	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Blair Oaks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	6124 Falcon Ln	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Blair Oaks R-II	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 634-2808	224	18	12.6	12.9%	206 (92.0%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.9%)								(n/a)																					$15,072	$645	$14,427
Blair Oaks High	Public	9-12	6124 Falcon Ln	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Blair Oaks R-II	No	No	No	No	(573) 635-8514	421	27	15.7	8.8%	399 (94.8%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	72.1	60^th of 367 public high schools	83.7%		73.5	47^th of 378 public high schools	87.6%	13															44.0	49.9	59.4		81.9		$11,455	$195	$11,259
Blair Oaks Middle School	Public	6-8	6124 Falcon Ln	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Blair Oaks R-II	No	No	No	No	(573) 634-2053	290	18	15.6	11.7%	273 (94.1%)	4 (1.4%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	95.4	11^th of 438 public middle schools	97.5%		98.1	6^th of 451 public middle schools	98.7%	5				71.1	94.3	60.8		73.5				52.7	69.0		94.0						$10,133	$508	$9,625
Blair Oaks Intermediate	Public	3-5	6124 Falcon Lane	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Blair Oaks R-II	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(573) 635-6864	228	18	12.3	12.3%	219 (96.1%)	4 (1.8%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	85.1	117^th of 900 public elementary schools	87.0%		91.8	46^th of 906 public elementary schools	94.9%	71	46.8	73.9	67.0				63.1		55.6	67.4											$11,540	$90	$11,450
Lewis And Clark Middle	Public	6-8	325 Lewis And Clark Dr	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3200	966	83	11.6	54.2%	593 (61.4%)	186 (19.3%)	58 (6.0%)	7 (0.7%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	116 (12.0%)	48.2	222^nd of 438 public middle schools	49.3%		54.1	205^th of 451 public middle schools	54.5%	17				47.3	31.8	22.4		30.9				37.4	41.7	41.0	98.2						$12,977	$402	$12,574
Thomas Jefferson Middle	Public	6-8	1201 Fairgrounds Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3250	927	78	11.8	50.4%	548 (59.1%)	183 (19.7%)	85 (9.2%)	27 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.0%)	68.2	120^th of 438 public middle schools	72.6%		72.4	101^st of 451 public middle schools	77.6%	19				45.4	46.9	34.1		40.2				53.2	46.3	53.0	98.8						$12,775	$326	$12,449
Belair Elementary	Public	K-5	701 Belair	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3155	363	31	11.8	51.2%	225 (62.0%)	45 (12.4%)	59 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.4%)	69.2	262^nd of 900 public elementary schools	70.9%		60.8	343^rd of 906 public elementary schools	62.1%	81	61.6	47.1	52.5				43.8		51.6	40.4	59.5										$12,888	$505	$12,383
Cedar Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	1510 Vieth	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3160	313	28	11.1	49.5%	203 (64.9%)	44 (14.1%)	19 (6.1%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (13.1%)	51.2	446^th of 900 public elementary schools	50.4%		41.7	544^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.0%	98	38.5	46.1	34.7				43.4		33.2	44.1	47.8										$15,309	$415	$14,894
East Elementary	Public	K-5	1229 E McCarty	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3165	286	30	9.5	100.0%	115 (40.2%)	96 (33.6%)	24 (8.4%)	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (15.7%)	15.2	772^nd of 900 public elementary schools	14.2%		28.5	669^th of 906 public elementary schools	26.2%	103	11.6	13.1	31.0				26.3		19.3	11.0											$14,394	$642	$13,752
Jefferson City High	Public	9-12	609 Union	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3050	1,353	102	13.2	50.4%	830 (61.3%)	278 (20.5%)	93 (6.9%)	22 (1.6%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	126 (9.3%)	50.9	152^nd of 367 public high schools	58.6%		50.8	143^rd of 378 public high schools	62.2%	9															43.2	31.3	50.9	64.4		40.7	$16,225	$570	$15,655
Moreau Heights Elementary	Public	K-5	1410 Hough Park	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3180	324	33	9.9	64.5%	173 (53.4%)	85 (26.2%)	19 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (14.2%)	41.9	543^rd of 900 public elementary schools	39.7%		41.5	548^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.5%	5	29.0	27.8	39.2				49.0		24.0	29.8	49.1										$15,023	$1,293	$13,730
Nichols Career Center	Public	9-12	605 Union	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3100	0	18	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
South Elementary	Public	K-5	707 Linden Dr	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3185	302	27	11.2	100.0%	102 (33.8%)	115 (38.1%)	15 (5.0%)	21 (7.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	45 (14.9%)	53.4	426^th of 900 public elementary schools	52.7%		44.6	512^th of 906 public elementary schools	43.5%	86	39.0	58.1	25.7						34.7		53.4										$13,450	$390	$13,060
Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 Jackson	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3170	294	28	10.4	100.0%	110 (37.4%)	108 (36.7%)	30 (10.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (15.0%)	58.6	372^nd of 900 public elementary schools	58.7%		43.4	525^th of 906 public elementary schools	42.1%	153	56.8	35.6	46.9				45.0		47.6	39.2											$13,957	$504	$13,453
West Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Dix Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3195	317	27	11.8	54.3%	195 (61.5%)	54 (17.0%)	24 (7.6%)	11 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.4%)	64.1	320^th of 900 public elementary schools	64.4%		61.1	339^th of 906 public elementary schools	62.6%	19	32.0	48.0	49.9				57.1		40.8		53.4										$13,777	$310	$13,467
Clarence Lawson Elementary	Public	K-5	1105 Fairgrounds Rd	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 659-3175	440	36	12.2	50.5%	252 (57.3%)	70 (15.9%)	40 (9.1%)	28 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.1%)	84.8	119^th of 900 public elementary schools	86.8%		73	220^th of 906 public elementary schools	75.7%	101	63.3	60.7	53.7						60.3	62.0											$14,283	$420	$13,863
Prenger Family Center	Public	9-12	400 Stadium Blvd	Jefferson City	65101	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 636-5177	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pioneer Trail Elementary	Public	K-5	301 Pioneer Trail	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	Yes	(573) 632-3400	396	35	11.2	50.3%	282 (71.2%)	32 (8.1%)	35 (8.8%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (10.4%)	59.4	366^th of 900 public elementary schools	59.3%		52.7	422^nd of 906 public elementary schools	53.4%	56	52.0	33.7	27.7				44.2		55.2	49.9	50.5										$13,427	$234	$13,193
Capital City High School	Public	9-12	1650 Cavalier Drive	Jefferson City	65109	Cole County	Jefferson City	No	No	No	No	(573) 659-3286	1,314	97	13.5	42.5%	811 (61.7%)	251 (19.1%)	114 (8.7%)	32 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	104 (7.9%)	47.6	174^th of 367 public high schools	52.6%		57.6	105^th of 378 public high schools	72.2%	69															47.3	26.7	48.5	49.9		43.4	$12,477	$273	$12,204

Cities Near Jefferson City

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Westphalia	9.31 mi	3	61^st
Holts Summit	10.36 mi	2	205^th
Russellville	15.37 mi	2	120^th
New Bloomfield	15.61 mi	2	301^st
Eugene	15.81 mi	2	250^th

See the top MO Missouri cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.