The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education named three St. Louis-area schools as part of the winning cohort of Missouri Gold Star Schools.
The Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience in St. Louis Public Schools, Conway Elementary in the Ladue School District and STEAM Academy Middle School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District are among the eight awardees.
The program was started in 1991, and it recognizes schools for high academic achievement or for performing at high levels while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students. It is aligned with the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
“Congratulations to the students, teachers, and staff members at each of these schools for earning this recognition,” said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger in a statement. “These schools demonstrate that academic excellence is possible while striving to help their students find their path to success. We’re so proud of their hard work.”
In Ladue, Conway Elementary School Principal Thomas Devitt said the teachers and staff were thrilled to learn about the award on Wednesday.
“None of us do this for any of the awards or the accolades,” Devitt said. “Everything that we do as a school and as a district is just from the frame of doing what's best for kids.”
He said that the teachers are the ones to celebrate for such an award, as they are the ones who show up day in and day out for students.
Devitt said that some of the success can be attributed to the school’s decision to take a closer look at student growth, rather than just achievement, to make sure that each individual student’s needs are being met both academically and in their social-emotional well-being.
STEAM Academy Middle School Principal Chris Ries said the award has special resonance because it was initially a program within the district and later became a standalone school.
She credits some of the school’s success to project-based learning, which is when students learn through projects created by teachers at the school that are aligned with Missouri learning standards.
“[Project based learning] just really helps our kiddos learn deeply about the content and puts things into a light for them where they can see themselves in it,” Ries said.
She also credited the school’s partnership with the Oxygen Project, which teaches students and staff different mindfulness practices through yoga and meditation.
Ries said it has helped address some of the social-emotional learning needs of students, which in turn has helped students focus in their classes.
Here’s the full list of Missouri’s 2025 Gold Star Schools:
- Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, St. Louis Public Schools
- Conway Elementary, Ladue School District
- East Elementary, Ozark School District
- Eugene Field Elementary, Poplar Bluff School District
- Green Forest Elementary, Green Forest R-II School District
- James Walker, Blue Springs School District
- Marion County Elementary, Marion County R-II Schools
- STEAM Academy Middle School, Ferguson-Florissant School District
