As required by law (167.275 RSMo), all public and nonpublic secondary schools are to report secondary students who drop out of school for any reason other than to attend another school, college or university, or enlist in the armed services to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. A 2009 revision to the law now requires the Department to make available by free electronic record on the first business day of each month the number of dropouts reported by school districts during the previous month without the identifying information on individual students. 

Because a high school education can significantly increase a person’s lifetime earnings and employability and improve their standard of living, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education wants to contact the students who have left school as soon as possible. When schools report on a regular basis; such as monthly, it increases the chances of students receiving important information from DESE, such as the availability of Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) classes in their area of the state. For more information, contact the hotline at 573-751-1249.

Memorandum to school administrators

Dropout reporting form

September 2024 Reported Dropouts

October 2024 Reported Dropouts