The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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Do you research school records? I’m not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I’m talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example. These are interesting source documents because they might record the student’s age, birth date and location, and possibly their parents’ names. All great ways to find this information if you haven’t found them in other documents about your target ancestor. Besides, finding out your grandmother’s grades would be interesting!
The record collection links, listed below, feature school records from the state, and list collections of records that are available for free online.
If you wish to get educated with some basic information regarding what is available and how to navigate your research for school records, you can read these summaries:
- 5 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Education Records
- Top 10 Strategies for Finding School Records for Genealogy
- Getting Started With School Records for Genealogy Research
So, what types of records related to schools are maintained and often available?
- School Census
- School Catalogs
- Teacher’s Registers
- Attendance Records
- Report Cards
- Class Logs
- Teacher Rosters
- School Board Meetings/Reports
- Academic Team and Class Photos
- Local Newspaper Articles:
- Graduation Lists
- School Activities
- School Sports
- Student Newspapers
- Alumni Directories and Publications
- Yearbooks
- Yearbook Indexes
And, what types of information can you derive from these school records?
- Name (often includes a middle name which is useful).
- Age
- Physical Characteristics – color/race, disability.
- Birth Date
- Current Residence Address
- Name of Father
- Name of Mother
- Occupations of parents
- Grades
- Classes Taken
- Activities (from Photos)
- Date left school (can help with family residence relocation)
Below is a list of links to free online school record collections for the state;
Note: Some of the links go to sites with not much information and some go to sites with an extensive set of records.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Missouri School Records
- A Brief History of the College of Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, 1940-1967
- A Directory of the Graduates of the College of Agriculture: University of Missouri, 1873-1963
- Andrew County School Report; for School Year closing June 30, 1911
- Announcement, Shelbyville Public Schools, 1932-1933
- Barry County Rural School Project – Records and Photos
- Carroll County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Catalogue of Central Wesleyan College, Warrenton, Mo.
- Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Drury College, Springfield, Mo.
- Cedar County, Miscellaneous School Photos
- Centennial History of Central Missouri State College
- Central High School Student Directory
- Central Wesleyan Bulletin
- Chariton County, List of Graduates of Triplett High School, Classes 1892-1950
- Christian County, Historical Schools Photos and Records
- Cooper County, School Records
- Dearborn High School, Graduates
- Directory of the Public Schools and Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri
- Education in Mountain Grove, Missouri, 1835-1913
- Franklin County, School Records and Photos
- Fraternity and Sorority Directory of the University of Missouri
- Fulton, Westminster College Catalogue of Alumni and All Students Registered, 1853-1911
- Grundy County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Harrison County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Hickory County, School Photos
- History of Pleasant Hill Schools
- History of the Missouri College of Agriculture
- History of the University of Missouri School of mines and metallurgy: 1871-1946
- History of William Jewell College, Liberty, Clay County, Missouri
- Independence, Fifty Years McCoy School 1914-1964
- Jefferson County, School Records and Photos
- Kansas City and its Schools
- Kansas City Area, School District Survey: 1968-69
- Kansas City, Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy – Names of 3400 Graduates, 1871-1905
- Kansas City, Manual and Directory of the Public Schools
- Lee’s Summit Senior High School Class of ’61 10th Reunion, 1961-1971
- Lincoln County School Photos
- Livington County Schools, History
- Missouri School Directory
- Missouri School Directory – 1932-1933
- Missouri School Directory – 1956-1957
- Missouri School Directory – 1965-1966
- Missouri School Directory – 1967-1968
- Missouri School Directory – 1969-1970
- Missouri School Directory – 1976-1977
- Missouri School Directory – 1977-1978
- Missouri School Directory – 1978-1979
- Missouri School Directory – 1979-1980
- Missouri School Directory – 1981-1982
- Missouri School Directory – 1985-1986
- Missouri School Directory – 1986-1987
- Missouri School Directory – 1987-1988
- Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy Student Registers, 1873-1922
- Monroe County School Records
- Newton County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Pike County, Miscellaneous School Photos
- Raytown High School, Directory for Alumni: Classes 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941
- Raytown High School: Class of 1963, ten-year Reunion
- Shelby County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Shelbyville, High School Alumni through 1931: Followed by a List of 1931-1932 Students arranged by Grade
- Shell Knob, Barry County, Fairview School District No. 75, History
- Springfield, Senior High School, Annual Report of the Principal, 1936-1937
- St. Louis Country Day School: the First Fifty Years
- St. Louis County, School Record by Congressional and School Townships
- St. Louis Genealogical Society, Miscellaneous School Record Collections
- St. Louis Public Schools Photograph Collection
- Taney County, School Records, 1886-1918
- The Alumnae Bulletin of Christian College
- The Barstow School, through Eighty Years
- Warren County, Record of Attendance; Record of Standing and Classification; Daily Program, 1916-1922
- Warren County, Records of School District No. 3, 1873-1910
- Warren County, Records of School District No. 52, 1911-1916, 1938-1940
- Warren County, Teacher’s Daily Register, 1890-1896
- Wright County, Mountain Grove High School Class Lists
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!