Public schools in St Joseph, MO
30 open public schools with an address in St Joseph, operated by 5 education agencies. Compare size, staffing, grade spans, and school type, then confirm assignment with the district.
Public schools
30
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Reported students
10,770
30 schools reporting · NCES 2024–25
Median student–teacher ratio
13.1:1
Missouri median 12.3:1
Charter schools
0
0 virtual
An overview of St Joseph public schools
The federal directory lists 30 public schools in St Joseph, MO: 14 elementary, 4 middle, 7 high, 5 combined or other. The 30 schools that reported 2024–25 membership enrolled 10,770 students, an average of 359 per school. The largest campus is Central High (1,733 students), and the largest elementary school is Carden Park Elem (638).
St. Joseph operates the most schools here (25), and 2 regular districts have at least one St Joseph campus, plus 3 charter, service, or other agencies. City names come from school mailing addresses, which often differ from district or municipal boundaries.
Across schools that reported staffing, the median student–teacher ratio is 13.1:1, higher than the statewide school median of 12.3:1. A ratio counts classroom-teacher FTE against total enrollment, so specialized programs and part-time staffing can move it; ask schools for actual class sizes by grade.
Among 4 high and combined schools with 2021–22 civil-rights data, 3 reported students enrolled in AP courses and 0 of 5 reported computer-science classes. Confirm current course catalogs directly with each school.
About 73% of students in reporting schools were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. This describes the community served; it is not a quality signal, and community-eligibility schools can report differently.
School districts and agencies serving St Joseph
St. Joseph
Public school district
25 schools in St Joseph
Department of Corrections
State operated agency
2 schools in St Joseph · 19 total
Division of Youth Service
State operated agency
1 school in St Joseph · 30 total
Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled
State operated agency
1 school in St Joseph · 35 total
Savannah R-III
Public school district
1 school in St Joseph · 7 total
Elementary schools in St Joseph
14| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carden Park Elem St. Joseph | KG–06 | 638 | 12.1:1 | |
| Coleman Elem. St. Joseph | KG–06 | 388 | 12.2:1 | |
| Edison Elem. St. Joseph | PK–06 | 362 | 11.6:1 | |
| Ellison Elem. St. Joseph | KG–06 | 343 | 14.6:1 | |
| Field Elem. St. Joseph | KG–06 | 336 | 15.8:1 | |
| Hosea Elem. St. Joseph | KG–05 | 422 | 13.1:1 | |
| Hyde Elem. St. Joseph | KG–05 | 352 | 13.3:1 | |
| John Glenn Elem. Savannah R-III | KG–05 | 280 | 14.4:1 | |
| Lindbergh Elem. St. Joseph | KG–05 | 431 | 11.9:1 | |
| Oak Grove Elem St. Joseph | PK–06 | 502 | 14.4:1 | |
| Parkway Elem. St. Joseph | KG–06 | 438 | 13.6:1 | |
| Pershing Elem. St. Joseph | KG–06 | 285 | 13.9:1 | |
| Pickett Elem. St. Joseph | PK–06 | 250 | 11.2:1 | |
| Skaith Elem. St. Joseph | PK–06 | 398 | 14.2:1 |
Middle schools in St Joseph
4| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bode Middle St. Joseph | 07–08 | 488 | 11.8:1 | |
| Robidoux Middle St. Joseph | 06–08 | 405 | 13.5:1 | |
| Spring Garden Middle St. Joseph | 06–08 | 404 | 14.1:1 | |
| Truman Middle St. Joseph | 07–08 | 486 | 13.1:1 |
High schools in St Joseph
7| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton High St. Joseph | 09–12 | 682 | 13.4:1 | |
| Central High St. Joseph | 09–12 | 1,733 | 16.4:1 | |
| Hillyard Technical Ctr. St. Joseph · Career and Technical School | 09–12 | 0 | 0:1 | |
| Lafayette High St. Joseph | 09–12 | 644 | 12.2:1 | |
| Riverbend Treatment Ctr. Division of Youth Service | 06–12 | 17 | 3.4:1 | |
| Western Recept/Diag Corr Centr Department of Corrections · Alternative School | 07–12 | 0 | — | |
| Western Region Treatment Centr Department of Corrections · Alternative School | 07–12 | 0 | — |
Combined, early-childhood, and other schools in St Joseph
5| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alt. Resource Ctr. St. Joseph | KG–12 | 0 | — | |
| Buchanan Co. Academy St. Joseph | KG–12 | 0 | — | |
| Helen M Davis School Mo Schls for the Sev Disabled · Special Education School | KG–12 | 43 | 6.1:1 | |
| Lake Early Learning Center St. Joseph | PK–PK | 211 | 10.8:1 | |
| Mark Twain Early Learning Cntr St. Joseph | PK–PK | 232 | 12.3:1 |
Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White62.8%
- Hispanic14.1%
- Black6.3%
- Asian1.8%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.2%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander2.5%
- Multiracial12.3%
Enrollment-weighted across 25 St Joseph schools with NCES CCD 2024–25 race/ethnicity counts (10,770 students). Privacy suppression can leave small gaps.
Questions about public schools in St Joseph
How many public schools are in St Joseph, MO?
The current NCES directory lists 30 open public schools with a location address in St Joseph: 14 elementary, 4 middle, 7 high, 5 combined or other. Together they reported 10,770 students in 2024–25. The count includes charter, alternative, and special-purpose public schools; it excludes private schools.
Which school districts serve St Joseph?
Schools with an address in St Joseph belong to 5 education agencies, led by St. Joseph (25 schools), Department of Corrections (2 schools), Division of Youth Service (1 school). A mailing city is not an attendance boundary; confirm the district for a specific address.
What is the largest public high school in St Joseph?
Central High reported the largest high-school enrollment in St Joseph, with 1,733 students in 2024–25 (grades 09–12). Size is a description of the campus, not a quality measure.
Are there charter schools in St Joseph?
No school with an address in St Joseph is identified as a charter school in the current NCES directory. Families may still have charter or virtual options elsewhere in Missouri.
What is the typical student–teacher ratio in St Joseph schools?
The median reported student–teacher ratio across St Joseph public schools is 13.1:1, higher than the Missouri school median of 12.3:1. The ratio divides enrollment by classroom-teacher FTE; it is not an average class size.
Does living in St Joseph guarantee a seat at a specific school?
No. Assignment depends on the district's attendance boundaries, programs, and enrollment rules, which can split a city or cross city lines. Use the district profile and its official boundary or school-locator tool to confirm the assigned school for an exact address.
Nearby Missouri cities
Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2025–26 preliminary directory (schools, grades, addresses, charter status) and 2024–25 nonfiscal files (enrollment, teachers, race/ethnicity, meal eligibility); Civil Rights Data Collection 2021–22 (AP and computer science). Cities are grouped by school mailing address. Methodology · All Missouri cities