1
What do you wish you knew before starting at BENTON HIGH?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
682
High
DISTRICT 1,020 · STATE 501
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ST. JOSEPH·NCES 292706001644
BENTON HIGH
5655 S FOURTH, ST JOSEPH, MO 64504 · (816) 671-4030 · Buchanan County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL682 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 26% of Missouri public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Missouri public high schools
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
320 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 54%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 193 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 177 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 163 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 149 | 22% |
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 52% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedMath
17.0%
MO avg 43.8% . -1.6pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 17 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The Missouri average is about 44 of 100. Math scores are down about 2 points since 2021.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 7.1% | 9.9% | 27.0% | 55.9% |
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
MAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | N/A | 17.0% |
| 2023-24 | N/A | 13.7% |
| 2022-23 | 26.3% | 2.8% |
| 2021-22 | N/A | 18.6% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
29.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.3%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BENTON HIGH
BENTON HIGH's state test result (29.8% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BENTON HIGH this school | 682 | 46.9% | 29.8% |
| WRIGHT CITY HIGH WRIGHT CITY | 566 | 42.8% | 39.3% |
| MEXICO HIGH MEXICO | 734 | 48.9% | 34.1% |
| ST. CHARLES HIGH ST CHARLES | 782 | 38.5% | 42.2% |
| FORT OSAGE HIGH INDEPENDENCE | 1,545 | 42.9% | 32.9% |
| HOLLISTER HIGH HOLLISTER | 475 | 56.6% | 36.9% |
Matched among Missouri high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BENTON HIGH ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Buchanan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.8% | #317 of 443 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 17.0% | #393 of 453 ▲ 15 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 26.3% | #345 of 382 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 682 | #135 of 561 | #2 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #151 of 343 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.2% | #91 of 343 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.9% | #209 of 455 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.5% | #91 of 187 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
682
-27 (-4%) vs 2020
-19% since 1990-91, when it was 845
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 16.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 682 | 50.7 | 13.4:1 | 47% (320) |
| 2023-24 | 702 | 49.3 | 14.2:1 | 37% (259) |
| 2022-23 | 676 | 44.9 | 15.1:1 | 44% (300) |
| 2020-21 | 709 | 44 | 16.1:1 | 33% (233) |
| 2017-18 | 745 | 57.2 | 13.0:1 | 70% (521) |
| 2015-16 | 780 | 60 | 13.0:1 | 55% (431) |
| 2010-11 | 875 | 55 | 15.9:1 | 54% (476) |
| 2000-01 | 964 | 62 | 15.6:1 | 30% (292) |
| 1990-91 | 845 | 50 | 16.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BENTON HIGH.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (745 to 682); teachers down 11% (57.2 to 50.7).
About BENTON HIGH
BENTON HIGH is a public mid-sized high school in ST JOSEPH, Missouri. Its grade span covers grades 9 through 12, with 682 students on the rolls. High schools in Missouri average about 501 students, which makes this school 36% bigger than average.
BENTON HIGH is in ST. JOSEPH, a district with 10,430 students across 22 schools.
About 72% of the student body at BENTON HIGH is White. Enrollment also includes 14% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 3% Black. Among people living in Buchanan County, the White share is about 81%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 45%.
BENTON HIGH lists 50.7 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 13.4 students per teacher. By comparison, the average for high schools in Missouri is 12.2:1. About 47% of students at BENTON HIGH are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The 69% average for public schools in Buchanan County is 22 points higher.
On the allk12 Grade, BENTON HIGH lands at C, ahead of 26% of Missouri public high schools.
BENTON HIGH scores 29.8% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 42.3%.
For Buchanan County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $62,158, about 24% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 10%. The county has 36 public schools and about 11,825 students.
HYDE ELEM. sits about 0.1 miles from BENTON HIGH. BENTON HIGH has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Among 6 nearby schools that report test results, BENTON HIGH ranks 6th on proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is City: Small: the school is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
The school's enrollment fell 4% from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 16.1:1 to 13.4:1.
BENTON HIGH has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.
Buchanan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
83,568
Census ACS
Median income
$62,158
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
36
11,825 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in ST. JOSEPH
- CENTRAL HIGHHigh · 1,733 students
- LAFAYETTE HIGHHigh · 644 students
- CARDEN PARK ELEMElementary · 638 students
- OAK GROVE ELEMElementary · 502 students
- BODE MIDDLEMiddle · 488 students
- TRUMAN MIDDLEMiddle · 486 students
Other schools in ST JOSEPH
- CENTRAL HIGHHigh · 1,733 students
- LAFAYETTE HIGHHigh · 644 students
- BODE MIDDLEMiddle · 488 students
- TRUMAN MIDDLEMiddle · 486 students
- PARKWAY ELEM.Elementary · 438 students
- LINDBERGH ELEM.Elementary · 431 students
Other Benton High schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Benton High. BENTON HIGH is the 3rd largest of the 4.
- Benton High SchoolBenton, LA · 1,515 students
- BENTON HIGH SCHOOLBENTON, AR · 1,298 students
- Benton HighBenton, WI · 61 students
Nearby schools
- HYDE ELEM.0.1 mi · 352
- HOSEA ELEM.0.7 mi · 422
- SPRING GARDEN MIDDLE1.1 mi · 404
- Lake Early Learning Center1.6 mi · 211
- CARDEN PARK ELEM2.6 mi · 638
- HELEN M DAVIS SCHOOL3.0 mi · 43
Frequently asked questions
About BENTON HIGHHow many students attend BENTON HIGH?
BENTON HIGH enrolls approximately 682 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does BENTON HIGH serve?
BENTON HIGH serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at BENTON HIGH?
Approximately 13.4:1 students per teacher at BENTON HIGH.
What is the student diversity at BENTON HIGH?
Student demographics at BENTON HIGH are roughly 72% White, 14% Hispanic, 3% Black, 0% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees BENTON HIGH?
BENTON HIGH is overseen by ST. JOSEPH in Buchanan County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.