Francis Howell Central High School

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.

Francis Howell Central High
Address
5199 Highway N

Cottleville
,
Missouri
63304

United States
Coordinates38°44′51″N 90°38′43″W
Information
TypePublic
Established1997
School districtFrancis Howell School District
PrincipalSonny Arnel
Teaching staff101.56 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,842 (2019–20)[1]
Student to teacher ratio18.14[1]
NicknameSpartans
Websitefhc.fhsdschools.org

History

FHC opened in the fall of 1997 with only freshmen and sophomore students. The school had been built in a series of phases; much of what is visible today had not yet been constructed at the time of its opening. The school's first principal was Don Muench. The building opened with relatively few teachers, due to low student enrollment at the time. Eventually the school expanded to include junior and senior grades as well.

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 a neighboring county's failing Normandy School District, which was predominantly black, would attend the majority white Francis Howell School District.[2]

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.[3] One parent at Francis Howell Central High School stated : "I deserve to not have to worry about my children getting stabbed, or taking a drug, or getting robbed" which was supported by many cheers.[3] Many of these parents were later criticized by some as racist and classist.[4][5] Other parents drew similarities between their current controversy and that of desegregation busing during the Civil Rights Movement.[4][3]

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.[6]

Athletics

The following MSHSAA sanctioned activities are available at Central:[7]

Band

The Spartan Regiment is FHC's marching band. The band raised $2000 in 2010 for the St. James Marching Band, whose members were involved in a bus crash.[8][9]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "FRANCIS HOWELL CENTRAL HIGH". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  2. Bock, Jessica; Crouch, Elisa (21 June 2014). "Francis Howell officials say 'no' to Normandy students". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. Calhoun, Michael. "Francis Howell Parents Air Concerns, Fears About Pending Transfers". cbslocal.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  4. "In Missouri, Race Complicates a Transfer to Better Schools". The New York Times. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. "Appalled by stereotyping of Normandy students". stltoday.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. "Francis Howell won't take any more Normandy students". fox2now.com. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  7. "Complete Sports Listing – Francis Howell Central". sharpschool.net.
  8. "Francis Howell Central Marching Band raises money for St. James band". ksdk.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  9. Bogan, Jesse (September 12, 2010). "Bands honor St. James school bus crash victims". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
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