BENTON HIGH

BENTON HIGH, an average-sized high school in ST JOSEPH, Missouri, overseen by ST. JOSEPH, instructs 682 students, covering grades 9 through 12. That puts it 36% larger than the typical public school in Missouri, which averages around 501 students.

Within ST. JOSEPH, which oversees 22 schools and 10,430 students, BENTON HIGH is one campus in the system.

Demographically, BENTON HIGH lists that the largest single group is White, at 72% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school reports 14% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 3% Black. By comparison, Buchanan County as a whole is about 81% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, BENTON HIGH has 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 12.2:1 average. Around 47% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Buchanan County runs at roughly 69%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, BENTON HIGH tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 50.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 48.5%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Buchanan County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $62,158 per year, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Buchanan County's 36 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,825 students), BENTON HIGH is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: HYDE ELEM., around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around BENTON HIGH. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts BENTON HIGH at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 44.4%.

The campus sits in a city-core setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 8%: 745 students in 2018 compared to 682 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 81% to 72% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.