Enrollment
297
High
DISTRICT 301 · STATE 501
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SCOTT CO. R-IV·NCES 290489000059
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH
4035 STATE HWY 77, BENTON, MO 63736 · (573) 545-3541 · Scott County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL297 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 12% of Missouri public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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
12.1:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.1:1 · STATE 12.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
141 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 54%
Community
0
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 | 82 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 79 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 78 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 58 | 20% |
Student demographics
9%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 14% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within SCOTT CO. R-IV. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedMath
12.7%
MO avg 43.8% . -26.4pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 13 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 26 points since 2021.
MAP results by year
| School year | Math |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 12.7% |
| 2023-24 | 7.0% |
| 2022-23 | 12.2% |
| 2021-22 | 39.1% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MO schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
23.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.1%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-18.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 42% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH's state test result (23.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH this school | 297 | 47.5% | 23.2% |
| EL DORADO SPRINGS HIGH EL DORADO SPRINGS | 321 | 46.1% | 13.7% |
| SCOTT CITY HIGH SCOTT CITY | 268 | 48.9% | 34.2% |
| WOODLAND HIGH Marble Hill | 263 | 50.2% | 39.2% |
| SCHUYLER CO. HIGH QUEEN CITY | 243 | 47.3% | 37.6% |
| CRANE HIGH CRANE | 237 | 49.8% | 30.8% |
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 THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Scott County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.2% | #369 of 443 | #5 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 12.7% | #416 of 453 ▲ 19 | #6 of 6 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 297 | #260 of 561 | #2 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.1:1 | #79 of 343 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 9.1% | #309 of 343 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 47.5% | #203 of 455 | #5 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.6% | #158 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
297
-63 (-17%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 314
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
was 16.4:1
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 | 297 | 24.7 | 12.1:1 | 47% (141) |
| 2023-24 | 315 | 23.8 | 13.3:1 | 46% (145) |
| 2022-23 | 319 | 24.3 | 13.1:1 | 47% (149) |
| 2020-21 | 360 | 22 | 16.4:1 | 43% (153) |
| 2017-18 | 305 | 21 | 14.5:1 | 50% (151) |
| 2015-16 | 332 | 20 | 16.6:1 | 44% (147) |
| 2010-11 | 291 | 19 | 15.3:1 | 46% (135) |
| 2000-01 | 341 | 24 | 14.2:1 | 26% (90) |
| 1990-91 | 314 | 19 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (305 to 297); teachers up 17% (21 to 24.7).
About THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH is a small high school located in BENTON, Missouri. The school enrolls 297 students, from grades 9 through 12. Average enrollment for high schools in Missouri is about 501, so this school runs 41% smaller than that.
District-wide, SCOTT CO. R-IV has 3 schools and 902 students.
The student body at THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH is 95% White. The rest of enrollment is 2% Hispanic and 2% Black. Among all residents of Scott County, the White share is about 82%. THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH's diversity index is 9%, against a US figure of 70%.
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH employs 24.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 12.1:1. For comparison, high schools in Missouri average 12.2:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 47% in 2024-25. The rate at public schools in Scott County averages 78%, higher than here.
Measured against Missouri public high schools, THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH is in the bottom 10% of Missouri schools on the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure. Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 42.1%. The school's actual rate is 23.2%, 18.9 points lower.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Scott County show that the median household income is $62,782, roughly 22% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH is one of 22 public schools in the county.
The nearest public school is SCOTT CO. ELEM., at less than a tenth of a mile. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 2 other public schools. The nearest schools with test data average 47.6%, higher than THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH's 23.2%.
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH has an NCES locale of Rural: Distant.
Enrollment dropped 17% from its 2020-21 level of 360. The ratio was 16.4:1 in 2020-21 and 12.1:1 in 2024-25.
Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Scott County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
37,933
Census ACS
Median income
$62,782
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
5,999 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in SCOTT CO. R-IV
- SCOTT CO. ELEM.Elementary · 410 students
- SCOTT CO. MIDDLEMiddle · 195 students
Other schools in BENTON
- SCOTT CO. ELEM.Elementary · 410 students
- KELSO ELEM.Elementary · 199 students
- SCOTT CO. MIDDLEMiddle · 195 students
Nearby schools
- SCOTT CO. ELEM.0.0 mi · 410
- SCOTT CO. MIDDLE0.0 mi · 195
- KELSO ELEM.8.4 mi · 199
- SCOTT CO. CENTRAL ELEM.9.2 mi · 194
- SCOTT CO. CENTRAL HIGH9.2 mi · 108
- ORAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL10.2 mi · 139
Frequently asked questions
About THOMAS W. KELLY HIGHHow large is THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH?
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH enrolls approximately 297 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH serve?
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH?
Approximately 12.1:1 students per teacher at THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH.
How diverse is THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH?
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH reports a student body of 95% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Black.
Who oversees THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH?
THOMAS W. KELLY HIGH is overseen by SCOTT CO. R-IV in Scott County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.