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Choosing a school in St. Louis can be dizzying. There’s a host of quality choices—private, charter, magnet, public—and that’s just scratching the surface.
To help parents and students with the search, Navigate STL Schools was launched last spring. The website lists helpful stats (enrollment, demographics, student/ teacher ratio), policies (whether the school requires uniforms), programs (extracurricular activities), and application deadlines. Families can also connect with a navigator to get assistance. “We wanted to show people that they have great options here,” says executive director Anna-Stacia Allen. “We’re making sure parents know how to take advantage of the options that are out there.”
There’s no shortage of quality options. U.S. News & World Report, for instance, ranked the city’s Metro Academic and Classical High School the No. 1 high school in the state. The magnet school has an international baccalaureate program. The Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, another city magnet school, was ranked eighth in the state; it offers a pre-med program. Niche .com recently ranked seven area high schools—John Burroughs School, Saint Louis Priory, MICDS, Thomas Jefferson School, St. Louis University High School, Whitfield School, and Chaminade—among the state’s top 10.
Educators at schools across the region are engaging with students in creative ways. At Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, students spend time working on a farm. New City School’s fourth-graders recently lobbied the state legislature to make the pawpaw the official state fruit tree. Webster Groves High School’s WG Thrive incubator program empowers students to learn the ropes of entrepreneurism by running their own businesses. In the Rockwood School District, an anti-bullying program encourages students to be leaders by teaching peers and younger students how to stop bullying.
At the same time, educators and innovators across the region are looking for ways to make education more accessible to all students. For instance, EdHub STL, part of Venture Café, brings together educators from across the region to develop transformative initiatives.
After working with Teach for America and teaching in New York public schools, Wash. U. grad Eric Scroggins returned home and launched The Opportunity Trust, a nonprofit whose mission is to foster equity in education. The nonprofit strives to build better schools and districts, increase the diversity and capacity of educators, empower parents and caregivers, and leverage research and best practices.
Such organizations as SKIP and WEPOWER are striving to make St. Louis’ education system as equitable as possible. “WEPOWER has done an excellent job of igniting and asking folks what they want to see,” says SKIP executive director Saras Chung, “and that voice is now being heard.”
