U.S. News and World Report released its ranking of the best children’s hospitals in the U.S., and several from Missouri made the list.
Eighty-six hospitals nationwide were recognized as being among the best in at least one pediatric medical specialty on this year’s list. In an effort to help families find high-quality pediatric centers near them, the publication also ranked hospitals in each state and region.
Here are the Show Me State’s best children’s hospitals for 2025-2026, according to U.S. News and World Report.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital took the No. 1 spot in Missouri, nationally ranking in all 11 pediatric specialties. It also tied as the third-best children’s hospital in the Midwest.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City Hospital, meanwhile, placed 10th in the Midwest, second in the state and nationally ranked in nine pediatric specialties.
And finally, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital ranked 15th on the regional list, third in the state and nationally ranked in four pediatric specialties.
“At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we are committed to providing extraordinary, compassionate care to every patient, every family, every day. We are honored to be named the top pediatric hospital in Missouri and St. Louis and take great pride with WashU Medicine in caring for patients and families from our community and beyond.” — Trish Lollo, St. Louis Children’s Hospital president.
“At Children’s Mercy, excellence isn’t defined just by rankings — every child we care for, every family we support and every breakthrough we achieve reflects the heart of our mission. Being recognized among the top pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report is an honor, but what matters most is the trust families place in us and the healing we deliver every day. That’s the true measure of our success.” — Dr. Alejandro Quiroga, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy.
“As a nationally ranked Best Children’s Hospital, our commitment has always been to the future. The future of medicine, of innovation, and most importantly, of every child we serve. From the opening of our new state-of-the-art hospital in 2027 to our continued investments in a world-class staff, patient-centric care and cutting-edge medical technologies, we are building a healthier tomorrow. Every decision we make is guided by a singular heartfelt purpose: to improve the health and well-being of our community’s children, today and for generations to come.” — Dr. Hossain Marandi, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital president.
This year’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” list was created from data collected through clinical surveys sent to 118 children’s hospitals, as well as surveys from thousands of pediatric doctors nationwide, U.S. News said.
Factors such as clinical outcomes, compliance with established best practices, and level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care were used to aggregate the rankings.