Original Research by School Decision on Benton High
Benton High is a regular public high school in St. Joseph, Missouri, serving grades nine through twelve. It is part of the St. Joseph School District. The school is located on the south side of the city.
St. Joseph is a mid-sized Missouri River city with a diversified industrial economy. Food processing, animal health pharmaceuticals, and heavy equipment manufacturing form the base. The city is home to Missouri Western State University, a historic downtown with architecturally significant buildings and museums, and a large network of parks and trails. The population has experienced a gradual decline in recent years. Housing values in the area are well below the national median, making it a relatively affordable market. The city serves as the county seat of Buchanan County and is the third-largest manufacturing economy in the state.
Benton High enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and students identifying as two or more races representing a smaller share. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of household economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records reviewed.
No state assessment results were reported for Benton High in the data examined. Without this information, we cannot describe how students perform on Missouri’s academic standards. Similarly, no four-year graduation rate was available, so we cannot characterize the school’s completion outcomes. The comparison framework that would place this school’s performance relative to other high schools in Buchanan County could not be applied because the necessary academic metrics were missing. A parent seeking testing or graduation information should ask the school or district directly.
The data we reviewed included no information on course offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, career-technical pathways, or other programs. We cannot confirm what academic options are available to students beyond the standard curriculum.
The St. Joseph School District recently passed a bond issue and operating levy and is implementing a grade reconfiguration that will convert Lafayette High School into a middle school and Robidoux Middle School into an elementary school starting in the 2026-27 school year. This shift may have implications for enrollment patterns across the district, including at Benton High.
Benton High presents as a standard comprehensive high school in a mid-sized industrial city. The gaps in publicly reported academic data mean that a family considering this school would need to gather further information directly from the school to make an informed assessment of student performance and program quality.
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