DESOTO SR. HIGH

DESOTO SR. HIGH is one of the roomy secondary schools in DESOTO, Missouri, part of DESOTO 73, with 862 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 72% above the state mean of about 501.

DESOTO 73 comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 2,464 students; DESOTO SR. HIGH is among them.

On demographics, DESOTO SR. HIGH records that 93% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest comes out to 3% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Jefferson County as a whole.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 16.3:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.2:1, putting DESOTO SR. HIGH higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 43% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, DESOTO SR. HIGH performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 50.5%, the actual is 65.5%, a residual of +15.0 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Jefferson County) shows that median household income runs about $82,851, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Jefferson County's 69 public schools (combined enrollment of about 36,216 students), DESOTO SR. HIGH is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: DESOTO JR. HIGH, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts DESOTO SR. HIGH at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 42.5%.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 11%: 972 students in 2018 compared to 862 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 98% to 93%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 18.8:1 in 2018 to 16.3:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.