WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

As a very small elementary school in HAZELWOOD, Missouri, WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER educates 68 students from grade pre-K, run under HAZELWOOD. That puts it 78% smaller than the typical public school in Missouri, which averages around 315 students.

Within HAZELWOOD, which oversees 31 schools and 16,321 students, WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER is one campus in the system.

On demographics, WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER lists that the largest single group is Black, at 68% of enrollment; the rest consists of 25% White, 4% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 24% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER has 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 7.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.4:1 average. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, St. Louis County runs at roughly 43%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, census data for St. Louis County shows median household earnings sit near $82,936, about 47% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across St. Louis County's 275 public schools (combined enrollment of about 134,601 students), WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER is one campus in the mix.

GARRETT ELEM. is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Over the past 7-year window. WEST EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER's enrollment has contracted 46% since 2018, when it stood at 125 (now 68). Over the same period, the Black share rose from 41% to 68%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 7.6:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, 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.