SHOW ME THE RECORDS: Missouri's public schools

You can learn a lot about your community, state and country. Open records help people keep government in check and help them better understand how government affects their lives.

Each week the Missourian will feature another open record. This week:

The records: A collection of statistics about public schools and charter schools in Missouri.

Why you’d want them: The data provides a comprehensive look at Missouri's schools by including information such as statewide statistics, school district report cards and building-level data. This data is broken down by graduation and dropout rates, test scores and demographic information.

Where you get the records: Go to the statistics page of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Make a selection from the alphabetical list of school districts, the Missouri summary profile or information about charter schools to get more information. For building-level data, click on "Report Cards" in the upper-right corner of a school district's page.

How much it will cost: The information is free.