The Springfield five-county metro area is home to 26 school districts, including Springfield Public Schools—the largest fully accredited district in Missouri.
From elementary through high school, our award-winning educational systems work to meet the needs of every student through efficient and effective use of resources, student preparation and teacher support. Our school systems are constantly developing innovative new programs, such as the A+ program, to address the needs of a diverse student population.
Whether you live in Springfield or one of our surrounding communities, you’ll find some of the best academic programs, educational opportunities, resources, and school districts in the nation right here.
In Springfield, all five public high schools are Missouri A+ schools, and the district produces an average ACT score that ranks above the state and national averages.
Three schools in the region (Bolivar High School, Nixa High School and Spokane High School) were awarded the 2013 National Blue Ribbon for academic achievement by the U.S. Department of Education.
Springfield’s Central High School received the gold (2012) and silver (2013) medals in U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools rankings.
Traditional learning models go a long way, but not every student learns the same way. To meet the needs of all students, Springfield Public Schools and the Springfield community have been innovators in developing and implementing one-of-a-kind, specialized learning programs. Here’s just a sampling of the innovative models offered by the Springfield Public Schools and other community organizations.
Opened in August 2014, this unique school provides classrooms for 50 eighth-graders in the heart of Mercy Hospital. As part of the Springfield Public Schools “choice” program, the academy gives students early and unprecedented access to all aspects of the health sciences, a great opportunity for students to engage with hands-on learning.
The Discovery Center in downtown Springfield, in collaboration with Springfield Public Schools, provides dedicated class space for 40 fifth-grade students in its 60,000-square-foot science center. Nearly all of the center’s hands-on exhibits will support the science-, technology-, engineering- and math-oriented curriculum.
Designed for academically gifted students in elementary and middle school, grades 1–8, The Phelps Center provides academic challenge and rigor and addresses the social and emotional needs of gifted students.
Offering Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programs, area IB schools provide a challenging curriculum designed to help students succeed in the global community.
This inquiry-based learning experience—in partnership with Bass Pro Shops—allows fifth graders to explore a comprehensive standard curriculum through the context of nature and conservation.
Designed for fifth grade students passionate about the arts, this program blends visual arts, theater, music, and dance into an arts integrated curriculum while still meeting grade level academic standards. Students build confidence, creativity, and collaboration skills alongside their core coursework.
This three year program gives fourth through sixth graders a hands-on introduction to agriculture, natural resources, and food systems. Students work directly with a kitchen, greenhouse, garden, and chicken coop, gaining a real understanding of how agriculture shapes daily life and local communities.
Fly SPS gives students a rare opportunity to work toward a private pilot’s license while earning high school and college credit. Students split their school day between traditional coursework and hands-on aviation training at Springfield-Branson National Airport, including simulator time and flight instruction.
Providing leadership, citizenship and character development, JROTC promotes confidence, esteem, discipline and teamwork skills in high school students through incorporation of activities such as rifle and drill training.
Springfield’s innovative school-as-community-center concept offers support, learning and recreational opportunities for students and their families day and night. Its unique continuous learning calendar gives students opportunities to sharpen their skills or explore new subjects during intersession courses.
Beyond its single-grade Choice Programs, SPS offers a range of magnet school options built into the regular school day, including Jarrett STEAM Academy, Reed Fine Arts Academy, Parkview Leadership School, and Kickapoo U. Each magnet option gives students an alternative academic focus while remaining part of a full school community.
Built through a partnership between Springfield Public Schools, Ozarks Technical Community College, Missouri State University, and CoxHealth, this program fast-tracks juniors and seniors into healthcare career pathways. It extends the same career focused approach found at the Health Sciences Academy at Mercy into the high school years.
This career-oriented curriculum encourages underperforming students to stay in school, while allowing them to pursue education and career goals and gain work experience and income. Providing opportunity and resources to help all children succeed.
Yes. Springfield Public Schools is Missouri’s largest fully accredited school district, and it anchors a five-county metro area served by 26 total school districts.
All five Springfield public high schools hold Missouri A+ status, and the district’s average ACT scores consistently rank above both state and national averages. Central High School has also earned gold and silver medal recognition from U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools rankings.
Springfield Public Schools offers a wide range of Choice Programs beyond the traditional classroom model, including the Health Sciences Academy at Mercy, the Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, AgAcademy, Fly SPS, Outdoor Pursuits, the International Baccalaureate Program, the Phelps Center for the Gifted, and the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility (WOLF).
It’s a full-time, immersive eighth-grade program held inside Mercy Hospital Springfield. Fifty students selected through a lottery spend the year exploring health science careers through hands-on, problem-based learning alongside Mercy’s medical staff.
Yes. The Alliance for Healthcare Education extends that same career focused approach into high school. It’s a partnership between SPS, Ozarks Technical Community College, Missouri State University, and CoxHealth that fast-tracks juniors and seniors into healthcare career pathways.
Yes, through Fly SPS. Students split their school day between coursework and hands-on aviation training at Springfield-Branson National Airport, working toward a private pilot’s license while earning both high school and college credit.
Yes. AgAcademy is a three-year program for fourth through sixth graders that covers agriculture, natural resources, and food systems through hands-on projects, including a kitchen, greenhouse, garden, and chicken coop.
The Academy of Fine and Performing Arts gives fifth graders an arts integrated curriculum spanning visual arts, theater, music, and dance, while magnet options like Reed Fine Arts Academy extend that focus into middle school.
Yes. The Phelps Center for the Gifted serves academically gifted students in grades 1 through 8, providing academic challenge alongside support for the social and emotional needs specific to gifted learners.
Yes. Area IB schools offer the Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma programs, giving students a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare them for success in a global context.
Magnet Schools, including Jarrett STEAM Academy, Reed Fine Arts Academy, Parkview Leadership School, and Kickapoo U, build an alternative academic focus into the regular school day, rather than pulling students into a separate single-grade program the way Choice Programs do.
Outdoor Pursuits launches in August 2026 as a new program for juniors and seniors, offering immersive, place-based learning in recreation, conservation, and environmental stewardship throughout the Ozarks.