SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL

Set in SEDALIA, Missouri, SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL is an expansive senior high, run under SEDALIA 200. It works with 1,551 students across grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 501 students per school, that is 210% bigger than typical.

Across the 9 schools in SEDALIA 200 (5,209 students total), SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL reports that 66% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school shows 21% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 3% Black. The wider county runs roughly 84% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL has 92 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.2:1, putting SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL higher than the state norm the norm. About 60% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 50.2%, the actual is 36.4%, a residual of -13.8 points.

Zooming out to the county, Pettis County reports that median household earnings sit near $60,430, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Pettis County's 20 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,820 students), SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is SKYLINE ELEM., roughly 0.8 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at SMITH-COTTON HIGH SCHOOL has increased 7%, going from 1,449 students in 2018 to 1,551 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 73% to 66% over that span.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.