Welcome to Rockwood!
Our students, staff members and families have been excited to head back into our hallways for the first half of the 2024-2025 school year in the Rockwood School District! Rockwood is a special place for our students to learn and grow, and we are committed to maintaining a safe, focused and fun environment for everyone in our community.
Our nearly 3,400 teachers and staff members go above and beyond to ensure a quality learning experience each day for almost 19,000 learners. We prioritize the physical safety and mental and social-emotional health of our students through a multi-tiered system of support. We keep our focus on our students’ education through cultivating positive, respectful relationships that build a solid foundation for learning. And we always make sure to keep things fun and celebrate the many and varied successes of our students, staff and community members!
These collective efforts uphold a reputation founded on high student achievement, outstanding teachers and staff and great community support.
Rockwood is not only the gem of St. Louis County; I believe it’s the gem of the state of Missouri. It is a district that is known for student achievement, innovation and ensuring that the needs of all students are being addressed. We have been one of the most well-regarded school districts in this country, and we will continue to be just that by working together to ensure all students realize their full potential.
Student Achievement
The Rockwood School District continues to be a state and national leader in education. Rockwood students routinely perform at high levels in the content areas of Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies on state assessment tests.
Awards
Graduation Rate
The Rockwood graduation rate continues to be significantly above the state average. We want all students to graduate and be prepared for college, career and citizenship.
| Group | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Rockwood | 96.1% |
| Missouri | 90.8% |
Student Academic Achievement in Rockwood https://www.rsdmo.org/discover/the-rockwood-advantage/academic-achievement
Advanced Placement (AP)
AP provides students the opportunity to take college-level courses while in high school. Students who participate gain college-level skills and may earn college credit while they are still in high school.
More than 60 percent of the graduating class earned a B or better through coursework from the Advanced Placement or Advanced Credit Program.
The AP Program https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/assessment/student-testing/advanced-placement
ACT
Nearly 89 percent of 2024 Rockwood graduates participated in at least one administration of the ACT.
The ACT defines College Readiness Benchmarks as minimum scores needed to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B or higher or a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses.
The numbers below reflect students' best ACT attempts. For information, visit our Academic Achievement page.
| Group | Composite Average | Students Meeting All Four Benchmarks |
|---|---|---|
| Rockwood | 23.1 | 40% |
| Missouri | 19.9 | 20% |
The ACT in Rockwood https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/assessment/student-testing/act
MAP
The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) offers statewide grade-level assessments for students in the academic areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. MAP results should be used in tandem with other data points—such as learning environment and other contextual factors—to understand student performance in relation to academic goals.
| Group | Language Arts | Math | Science | Social Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwood | 59.8% | 59.3% | 57.5% | 56.8% |
| Missouri | 43.2% | 41.2% | 38.4% | 39.7% |
MAP Testing in Rockwood https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/assessment/student-testing/map
Highly Qualified Staff
- Babler Elementary Principal Dr. Michelle Fitzsimmons was named the St. Louis Suburban Elementary Principals Association (SLSEPA) 2024-2025 Outstanding Assistant Principal.
- Rockwood South Middle language arts teacher Kristen Engle was named the 2024 Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Educator of the Year.
- Eureka High Assistant Principal Dr. David Arledge was named the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals 2025 Assistant Principal of the Year.
- Two Rockwood educators received a 2024 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award, and Rockwood Teacher of the Year, Molly Clince, was one of 10 educators for the Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year for the St. Louis region.
- Marquette High nurse Tracy Crawford was named a recipient of the 2024 St. Louis Suburban School Nurses' Association's (SLSSNA) Outstanding Service by a School Nurse Award.
- Twenty-six Rockwood nurses have received National Board Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN).
- Rockwood provides ongoing professional development for all of its employees. We have a comprehensive program for the development of teachers and staff at all levels.
Employment in the Rockwood School District https://www.rsdmo.org/hr
Safe and Caring Schools
The health and safety of our students, staff members and our entire community will always be a top priority in Rockwood. To help ensure the safety and security of our school communities, we recognize the importance of continually collaborating with emergency management officials to ensure best practices are implemented for school safety; reviewing and evaluating the district's comprehensive safety plan; and providing professional learning on safety for staff at all levels. This includes districtwide options-based response so that staff members are prepared to lockdown, barricade and evacuate students to a safe location outside the school building during an intruder alert.
With the passage of Proposition 3 in the fall of 2023, the Rockwood School District is developing a systematic plan to address continuing safety upgrade priorities around the district. This includes all exterior doors being connected to a door monitoring system with keypad entries and exterior security camera upgrades by the Technology Department to follow after the door access controls projects are completed. Every exterior door that will be updated with the monitoring system will receive upgraded surveillance systems as well.
Safety and Security
Providing a warm, welcoming and safe school environment https://www.rsdmo.org/safetyEffective Communication
Connecting the home, school and community https://www.rsdmo.org/communicationsCharacter Education
Developing autonomy, belonging and competency https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/safety-and-security/social-and-emotional-safetyWe care about our students. We recognize that relationships matter. Our core values drive our work as we connect with students so they can learn, grow and reach their highest potential. Rockwood Student Services provides social-emotional support for all students.
Our caring, trained school counselors, social workers and behavior specialists help provide a multi-tiered system of support for our schools.
Rockwood Student Services can be found at https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/student-services
Social-Emotional Learning
A multi-tiered system of support https://www.rsdmo.org/departments/student-services/social-and-emotional-learningSchool Counselors
Facilitating students' academic and personal goals https://www.rsdmo.org/counselorsSchool Report Cards
With almost 19,000 students, Rockwood is the largest school district in St. Louis County. In addition, the district's 19 elementary schools, six middle schools and four high schools collectively make up one of the highest performing school districts in the country.
Visit a Rockwood school and you'll see great things: successful students, caring employees, enthusiastic volunteers and a commitment to excellence in education. Each Rockwood school produces a school report card to highlight student achievement, enrollment and staffing.
Visit our Annual Report online at https://annualreport.rsdmo.org/reportcards to browse each school's report card.
Responsible Finance
Awarded Highest Rating (AAA) by Standard and Poor's Rating Services
Awarded the Meritorious Budget Award by the Missouri Association of School Business Officials
For the 15th straight year, Rockwood School District has earned a top ranking as a AAA-rated district from Standard & Poor's. The AAA rating reflects organizations with exemplary financial strength and discipline in meeting all obligations.
According to Standard & Poor's, a AAA-rated organization has an extremely strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. A AAA credit rating is the highest one issued by Standard & Poor's, and Rockwood is one of only four districts in the state to earn such a high bond rating. Rockwood has also earned the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) for excellence in budget presentation by the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International for 25 consecutive years and the ASBO and Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Excellence (COE) in financial reporting for 19 straight years. Rockwood is the only school district in the state to currently hold a AAA rating as well as ASBO's MBA and COE and GFOA's COE.
Finance in Rockwood https://www.rsdmo.org/finance
Revenue and Expenditures
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Revenue
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Local Property Taxes | 69% |
| State Foundation Formula | 11% |
| Other Local, State and Federal | 10% |
| State Sales Taxes | 9% |
| Desegregation Aid | 1% |
Expenditures
| Expenditure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Instruction | 68% |
| Facilities and Maintenance | 17% |
| School Support | 6% |
| Central Admin | 5% |
| Transportation | 4% |
Exceptional Community
Partners in Education
A good education requires a partner. In Rockwood, we have PIE (Partners in Education).
PIE facilitators collaborate with volunteers willing to share their expertise or special talents with our students. This community cooperation enhances curriculum and affords our students a real-world view of what their future might look like.
Partners In Education https://www.rsdmo.org/pie
Parkway-Rockwood Community Education
Parkway-Rockwood Community Education offers a broad range of programs and services for youth and adults in several areas, including aquatics, adult education and literacy, enrichment, outdoor education, school-age care, sports and visual and performing arts.
The collaboration provides high-quality programming and services to enhance quality of life for residents.
Parkway-Rockwood Community Education https://prcommunityed.org
Rockwood Early Childhood Education
The Rockwood Early Childhood Education program has a longstanding reputation for excellence in educating children from birth to kindergarten with resources such as Parents As Teachers, screenings, preschool, diagnostics and special education.
All teachers are certified by the state in Early Childhood Education and/or Early Childhood Special Education. The preschool program features a curriculum aligned with Rockwood's high standards.
Rockwood Early Childhood Education https://earlychildhood.rsdmo.org
Rockwood Gives Back
Rockwood Gives Back is a group of volunteers who support Rockwood students and families in need. Rockwood Gives Back cultivates a spirit of generosity and donations, connects families with services to strengthen our school district and develops a districtwide culture of support for our children.
Rockwood Gives Back works closely with district and school staff members to nurture a close, caring school community.
Rockwood Gives Back https://www.rsdmo.org/giveback
