Rockwood students are renowned for their achievements. The district's 34 schools and supporting programs collectively make up one of the highest-performing school districts in the country.

Rockwood students continually perform at high levels in the content areas of Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies on state assessment tests. During 2021-2022 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) testing, 60.6 percent of Rockwood students measured proficient or advanced in English Language Arts (state average = 43.2 percent), 58.3 percent in Mathematics (state average = 39.2 percent), 56.6 percent in Science (state average = 37.7 percent) and 55.2 percent in Social Studies (state average = 40.0 percent). 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.

In 2021-2022, Rockwood offered 32 different AP courses. Nearly 1,900 Rockwood students took at least one AP exam. Rockwood students took a total of 4,094 AP exams, and 85 percent of Rockwood students who took an AP exam earned a score of 3 or higher (out of 5).

On the ACT, Rockwood Class of 2022 students averaged a composite score of 23.2, outperforming the state average of 20.3. From July 2021 through June 2022, a total of 18 Rockwood students recorded a perfect score on the ACT or SAT. On the ACT, 38 percent of Rockwood students who took the exam met or exceeded all four College Readiness Benchmarks, outpacing the state and national average of 22 percent. 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.

More than 60 percent of the graduating class also earned a B or better through coursework from the Advanced Credit Program.

All four Rockwood high schools received top rankings by U.S. News & World Report on the "2022 Best High Schools" list. Nearly 18,000 public schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college. In the state of Missouri, Lafayette ranked seventh, Marquette ranked 10th, Eureka ranked 14th and Rockwood Summit ranked 16th. Four other Rockwood schools– Chesterfield Elementary, Crestview Middle, Rockwood Valley Middle and Wildwood Middle– also ranked in the top two percent of state public schools in U.S. News & World Report's first-ever K-8 school rankings in the fall of 2021.

Niche.com, a website that helps families discover schools and neighborhoods, recently revealed its top public high schools, and all four Rockwood high schools made the list. According to Niche, Lafayette ranked third in the state, Marquette ranked fifth, Rockwood Summit ranked 10th, and Eureka ranked 12th.

Each year, up to 30 Rockwood high school seniors earn their associate degree at the same time as their high school diploma through the Early College Partnership, a joint venture between Rockwood and STLCC-Wildwood. Students enter the two-year program before their junior year of high school and take dual-enrollment courses in order to earn their associate degree and get an early start on their future.

Rockwood believes in the importance of character education to support the social, emotional and ethical development of students. Because of their efforts in character education, two Rockwood schools – Fairway Elementary and Geggie Elementary – were named 2022 National Schools of Character by Character.org. Fairway and Kehrs Mill Elementary were also named State Schools of Character.

For the third straight year, all four Rockwood high schools earned the Distinguished School designation from Project Lead the Way (PLTW). They are among 197 schools from around the nation and 26 from Missouri to be named a Distinguished School, a designation that recognizes schools that are committed to increasing student access, engagement and achievement in PLTW courses. Rockwood offers an assortment of biomedical science and pre-engineering courses that align with PLTW standards, providing transformative learning experiences for students and teachers through courses that cultivate an engaging, hands-on classroom environment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

(Updated Jan. 2023)