The Francis Howell R-III School District, [1] also known as the Francis Howell School District (FHSD), is a school district in Missouri, headquartered in O'Fallon in the St. Louis metropolitan area. [2]
The district includes sections of St. Charles County, including all of New Melle, Weldon Spring, and Weldon Spring Heights. It also includes most of Cottleville, and portions of Dardenne Prairie, O'Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, and the Defiance census-designated place. [1]
Its first predecessor started operations in 1830. Through mergers, it became the Consolidated School District No. 2 of St. Charles County in 1913, and the Francis Howell Reorganized School District #3 in 1951. Population growth in the 1970s and 1980s, and continued into the 1990s. In the last five years student enrollment growth has shown a slight decline from year to year. While annual fluctuations in growth rates are likely, enrollment projections indicate that student population during the next five years will continue its slow and gradual decline. Enrollment is expected to level off at approximately 17,000 students. The District currently provides education to approximately 18,000 students preschool through twelfth grade, and an additional 8,000 students in its early childhood education programs. [3]
The District encompasses approximately 150 square miles (390 km2) in the southeast corner of St. Charles County and is one of the largest school districts in the State of Missouri. The cities within the District’s boundaries including St. Peters, Cottleville, Weldon Spring, Harvester, southern portions of St. Charles City, and eastern portions of O’Fallon. [1] The District’s educational facilities include ten elementary, five middle and three high schools; three early childhood centers, and two alternative education schools. [4]
The District was featured on the 2015 Jul 31 episode of This American Life. [5] In 2013, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld a law that allowed students attending unaccredited school districts to transfer to other schools. A lawful decision was made that students from the neighboring Normandy School District would be able to attend schools within the Francis Howell School District. [6] This led to Francis Howell district parents voicing concerns against the transfer of students even though they would pay out-of-district tuition. The town hall meeting went on for over two hours with almost 3,000 people in attendance. [7] One parent stated : “I deserve to not have to worry about my children getting stabbed, or taking a drug, or getting robbed." [7] Many of these parents were later criticized by some as a result of these remarks. [8] [9] Other parents drew similarities between their current controversy and that of desegregation busing during the Civil Rights Movement. [8] [7]
In 2014, the Francis Howell School District decided to no longer take out-of-district tuition and the Missouri State Board of Education to reconstitute the Normandy District as the Normandy Schools Collaborative and eliminate its “unaccredited” status. [10]
As part of the George Floyd protests, protests were held in the district area, asking the district to use a resolution which opposed racism. The school board enacted this resolution in August of that year. In 2022 new elections were held, and the result was that the majority of the school board was aligned with conservatism. In 2023 that new board decided to end the resolution, citing that the majority of the board did not sign it nor vote to adopt it. [11] In December 2023, the board then voted 5-2 to disallow elective classes on Black Literature and Black History. [12] All five voting in favor were elected in April with the financial backing of a conservative political action committee called Francis Howell Families. [13]
The district previously had classes on African-American history in its schools. In 2023 the board of trustees voted to end those classes. [14] There was widespread criticism of the removal from area residents, including parents and guardians, as well as students. [15] Later that month, the district administration stated that the district would keep the existing classes in that subject. [16]
Steven Blair and Carolie Owens would defeat the Francis Howell Families-backed Adriana Kuhn and Sam Young with a five percentage point margin in the 2024 school board elections. [17] [18]
In August 2024, the board passed resolutions to ban books containing sexual references, alcohol or drug use, profanity, or violence, institute a process which allows any district resident to remove books, a policy that restricts teachers from speaking about gender or sexuality, and a policy that prohibits “values judgments on human sexuality.” [19]
The district's superintendent is Kenneth Roumpos. [20]
Cottleville is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 census.
Weldon Spring is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,326 at the 2020 census.
St. Charles County is a county in the central eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 405,262, making it Missouri's third-most populous county. Its county seat is St. Charles. The county was organized October 1, 1812, and named for Saint Charles Borromeo, an Italian cardinal.
St. Peters is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 57,732 at the 2020 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Missouri. It is a northwestern suburb of St. Louis.
Greater St. Louis is the 21st-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the largest in Missouri, and the second-largest in Illinois. Its core city—St. Louis, Missouri—sits in the geographic center of the metro area, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The river bisects the metro area geographically between Illinois and Missouri, although the latter portion is much more populous. The MSA includes St. Louis County, which is independent of the City of St. Louis; their two populations are generally tabulated separately.
Francis Howell North High School (FHN) is a secondary school located in St. Peters, Missouri, with a St. Charles postal address. The mascot of the school is Norm the Knight.
Defiance is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Saint Charles County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159.
Francis Howell High School is a four-year public high school located in St. Charles, Missouri. Approximately 1800 students from Defiance, Foristell, New Melle, O'Fallon, Saint Peters, Saint Charles, Weldon Spring, and Wentzville attend school at Howell. It is in the Francis Howell School District. The school's mascot is Victor the Viking.
Fort Zumwalt Park is a park in O'Fallon, Missouri, that features the rebuilt homestead fort of Jacob Zumwalt.
The St. Louis Modern Chinese School is an American school that teaches Chinese as a second language and Chinese culture. The school is located in the Esquire Building at 6710 Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.
Francis Howell Central High School (FHC) is the third high school created in the Francis Howell School District. The school is located in Cottleville, Missouri, but a large part of its student population comes from its larger neighbor St. Peters. Home of the Spartans, Francis Howell Central is a four-year comprehensive high school offering programs in college preparatory, vocational, honors/advanced credit, advanced placement and a special education program.
O'Fallon is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the St. Louis metropolitan statistical area, located along Interstates 64 and 70 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters. As of the 2020 census, O'Fallon had a population of 91,316, making it the most populous suburb of St. Louis, as well as the most populous municipality in St. Charles County and the 7th most populous in Missouri. O'Fallon's namesake in St. Clair County, Illinois, is also part of the St. Louis region. The two cities are one of the few pairs of same-named municipalities to be part of the same metro area.
Fort Zumwalt School District is headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri, United States.
Kirkwood High School is a public secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District.
Normandy Schools Collaborative is a public school district serving 23 municipalities in northern St. Louis County, Missouri. The district operates one comprehensive high school which includes an alternative education program, five grade 1-8 elementary schools, and one early learning center. The district is named for Normandy, Missouri, one of the primary municipalities served by the district. The Missouri Board of Education voted to end the school district on June 30, 2014. It lost state accreditation that year for poor academic performance An appointed board replaced the elected board, and the district became a new entity called the “Normandy Schools Collaborative.” The state had direct oversight of the schools. The District was featured on an episode of NPR's This American Life that aired on July 31, 2015.
Antonio French is a former city alderman in St. Louis, Missouri's 21st Ward.
The 2017 St. Louis mayoral election was held on April 4, 2017, to elect the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. Incumbent Mayor Francis Slay chose not to run for reelection. Slay, who was serving his fourth term as mayor, indicated in March 2016 that he would run for reelection, but announced in April 2016 that he would not run for a fifth term. Primary elections took place on March 7, 2017, and the general election was held on April 4. Alderwoman Lyda Krewson was elected and became the first female Mayor of St. Louis.
Lindbergh Schools is a public school district in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Lindbergh School District serves 6,877 students as of the 2017-2018 school year. Its new headquarters are located at the former site of Johnny's Market in Sappington, a census-designated place and unincorporated area. Lindbergh Schools is currently facing a large growth rate in student population (2107).
The Kirkwood R-7 School District is a public school district headquartered in Kirkwood, Missouri.
Brett Thomas Graves is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins in 2018.
801 Corporate Centre Drive O'Fallon MO 63368
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