Hot Takes: Three Popular Missouri Voter Opinions From 2024

By Courtney Vahle, Ed.D.

In 2024, SLU and YouGov partnered to poll Missouri voters (once in February and once in August) and Missouri parents (in May) on education topics. Below, we cover three voter opinions that received strong consensus from Missouri voters and parents.

Fall 2024 Polling Data Showing the Responses to: “Do you support or oppose high school start times beginning at 8:30 am or later in your district?”, broken down by age group.

1: Young Voters Support Moving Back High School Start Times

Studies continually show that adequate adolescent sleep is crucial for student success, health and safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends delaying middle and high school start times to 8:30 AM or later to ensure adolescents get enough rest. Studies show that even a modest delay of high school start times by 25-60 minutes can significantly increase sleep duration—by up to 77 minutes per night—and lead to better student outcomes. However, many schools still begin earlier, with high schools in Missouri starting at an average of 7:48 AM, well before the AAP’s recommended time. In fact, only 3% of Missouri high schools meet the 8:30 AM recommendation.

Public support for later start times is strong, especially among younger voters, who are more likely to be parents of current school-aged children. Overall support stood at 52%, but nearly three-quarters of voters aged 18-44 supported the shift. Notably, this issue also reflects a partisan divide, with Democrats showing significantly more support (67%) than Republicans (39%).

See more about School Start Times in our full publication here or our opinion piece here. You can read more about the Fall Poll Results and voter opinions on other education issues here.

May 2024 Polling Data Showing the Responses to: “Would you support/do you support your child’s school district in adopting a four-day school week calendar”, broken down by Current 5DSW Parents and Current 4DSW Parents

2: 5DSW Parents Divided, but Current 4DSW Parents Support the Move to a 4DSW

As more school districts across Missouri and Arkansas adopt a four-day school week (4DSW), the debate over its effectiveness continues. In the 2023–24 school year, 168 Missouri districts and 34 Arkansas districts implemented the 4DSW, with many of these being smaller, rural schools.

Interestingly, parents whose children are already enrolled in 4DSW schools are largely supportive, with 75% favoring the shorter week. In contrast, parents of 5DSW students are more divided. This disparity may stem from mixed academic results, with some studies showing improved performance in subjects like reading and math, while others find little or no impact. As the 4DSW continues to gain traction, it's clear that opinions are still divided on its overall effect on education.

See more about parent opinions on the four-day school week and other education topics in the Parent Poll Results publication here.

February 2024 Polling Data Showing the Responses to: “Do you you support or oppose the following policies…allow students enrolled in a district’s schools to remain in that district’s schools for the complete school year, even if they move out of the district during the school year?”

3: Voters Support Allowing Students Who Move to Stay Enrolled Through the Year

Student mobility in Missouri is a significant issue, with over 20% of students transferring between schools in 2023 due to reasons like school choice or moving out of district boundaries. A 2024 poll revealed strong public support for allowing students to remain in their current school if they move out of the district.

About 77% of respondents supported this for the remainder of the school year, though support dropped to 55% when asked about letting students stay until graduation. The results also showed a generational divide, with younger voters—90% of those aged 18-29—strongly backing the idea of keeping students in their current school, while support waned among older voters, with only 45% of those aged 65 and older in favor. This highlights the varying perspectives on how to balance student stability with district policies.

See more about voter opinions on open enrollment policies and other education topics in the February 2024 Poll Results publication here.