Springfield Public Schools (Missouri)

Springfield Public Schools (SPS), also known as the Springfield R-12 School District, is a public school district headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, United States. With an official fall 2020 enrollment of 24,309[2] students attending 35 elementary schools, one intermediate schools, nine middle schools and five high schools, it is the largest public school district in the state of Missouri.[3] Public high schools located in Springfield include Central High School, Kickapoo High School, Hillcrest High School, Parkview High School, and Glendale High School.

Springfield Public Schools
Location
1359 E. St. Louis Street Springfield, Missouri, 65802
District information
TypePublic
GradesPre K-12
SuperintendentDr. Grenita Lathan
Schools50 [1]
Students and staff
Students24,309 (2020)
Staff3,500
Other information
Websitewww.sps.org

History

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It was established in 1868.[4] In 2018, as part of a plan to sell a bond issue to parents, the district hired architects to develop plans for new schools to show to parents.[5] In 2018, twelve of the district's schools had "secure vestibules" controlling entry, and the district was making efforts to establish more.[6]

Accomplishments

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  • SPS 4-year graduation rate for 2020 was 93.6%.
  • SPS has the state's only K-12 International Baccalaureate program.
  • The Springfield community has recently invested more than $168 million to improve its education facilities.
  • They average teaching experience of their teachers about 12.1 years, and more than 62.9% of teachers have advanced degrees.[1]

Schools

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Springfield Schools
School Name Type
Central High
Hillcrest High
Glendale High
Kickapoo High
Parkview High
Carver Middle
Cherokee Middle
Jarrett Middle
Pipkin Middle
Reed Middle
Hickory Hills K-8
Pershing K-8
Pleasant View K-8
Westport K-8
Wilson's Creek Intermediate
Bingham Elementary
Bissett Elementary
Bowerman Elementary
Boyd Elementary
Cowden Elementary
Delaware Elementary
Disney Elementary
Field Elementary
Fremont Elementary
Gray Elementary
Harrison Elementary
Holland Elementary
Jeffries Elementary
Mann Elementary
McBride Elementary
McGregor Elementary
Pittman Elementary
Robberson Elementary
Rountree Elementary
Sequiota Elementary
Sherwood Elementary
Sunshine Elementary
Truman Elementary
Twain Elementary
Watkins Elementary
Weaver Elementary
Weller Elementary
Wilder Elementary
Williams Elementary
York Elementary
Campbell Early Childhood Center
Fulbright Early Childhood Center
Mallory Early Childhood Center
Shady Dell Early Childhood Center

Demographics

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The school district has seen a rise in the number of non white students in the past twenty years, in 2000 white enrollment was 90.8%, since that time it has dropped to 75.3%, the number of black and Asian students has doubled, and Latino students have more than tripled.[7]

District Demographics (2019)
Race/Ethnicity Percentage
White 75.3
Black/African American 7.9
Hispanic/Latino 6.8
Asian 3.2
Multirace 5.7
Native American/Pacific Islander Approx. 1

Superintendent

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District Superintendents
Name Start Date End Date
Willard Graff 1952[8] 1970[9]
Joe Kuklenski 1970[9] 1981[10]
Paul Hagerty 1981[11] 1992[12]
Bud Greve (CEO)/ Conley Weiss(COO) 1993[12] 1996[12]
Bud Greve 1996[12] 1999[12]
Jack Ernst 1999[13] 2005[14]
Norm Ridder 2005[14] 2014[14]
John Jungmann 2014[15] 2021[15]
Grenita Lathan 2021[15] Present

References

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  1. ^ a b "SPS - About Our District". Springfield Public Schools. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Riley, Claudette. "Springfield district enrollment drops by 1,397 students this fall". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Springfield now largest Missouri school district". Springfield News-Leader. December 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Riley, Claudette (August 14, 2018). "9 things to know as Springfield Public Schools starts its 151st year". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Riley, Claudette (August 15, 2018). "Before SPS asks voters for money again, district turns to team of architects for ideas". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Riley, Claudette (August 18, 2018). "Springfield district: In 37 of 51 school buildings, secure vestibule 'doesn't exist'". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Riley, Claudette. "Amid growing diversity in SPS, change more rapid in certain schools". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Willard J. Graff Quits City Board". Springfield News-Leader. December 2, 1952. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Hazelrigg, Larry (September 21, 1969). "Kuklenski to Review, Reshape Policies as 'Conditions Change'". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Superintendent: School Board picks Geogian with reputation as peacemaker". Springfield News-Leader. March 12, 1981. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Soric, Susan (May 8, 1981). "Schools chief stresses need for new funding". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e Barnett, Jennifer (September 22, 1988). "Greve brought stability to position". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  13. ^ Malory, Arthur (September 28, 1999). "Good start essential to educational success". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Riley, Claudette (January 21, 2014). "Only 13 apply for SPS superintendent". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Pickle, Geoff (March 8, 2021). "SPS hires new superintendent". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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