The Missouri Option program, sponsored through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is for students, ages 17 and older, who are at least one full year of credit behind their class (a full year is defined as 7 credits behind where the particular student should be in order to graduate on time - ex: a student starting senior year should have 17 credits to be on track to graduate, and therefore should have 16 or fewer credits to be eligible for Missouri Options). The Missouri Option program provides students at risk of not graduating or dropping out an alternative opportunity to earn a Perryville High School diploma. The program is not intended as an avenue for early graduation, nor is it an ideal match for students currently in their junior year. For the purposes of this program, high school status is determined by the year the student started kindergarten. Each student interested in the Missouri Option program will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Missouri Option program provides an opportunity for these students to earn a Perryville High School diploma by meeting the following requirements:

1.  Attend class 15 hours per week
   • Provide documentation of either working or doing community service 15 hours per week (students will have full-time status if they meet the 30 hour per week requirement)
   • Pass a Government course
   • Pass the U.S. and MO Constitution exams
   • Pass a Personal Finance course
   • Pass a Health course
   • Pass all parts of the HISET exam
   Admittance into the program is through referral and at least 9.0 grade level TABE scores. For more information, please speak with your student's Guidance Counselor.