Original Research by School Decision on Emil E. Holt Sr. High
Emil E. Holt Sr. High is a regular public high school in the Wentzville R-IV School District, serving grades nine through twelve in the suburban city of Wentzville, Missouri. Wentzville sits in western St. Charles County as part of the St. Louis metropolitan area and has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, a growth that has driven the school district to expand to four high schools. The city combines residential neighborhoods with industrial and commercial zones, anchored by a large General Motors assembly plant, and the school is one of several high schools distributed across the district’s footprint.
State testing data was not available for this school, so a reader cannot assess academic proficiency from that source. The school’s graduation rate was not reported in the data provided either, which is an important gap for any family evaluating a high school. Both of these missing measures mean that a parent would need to seek this information directly from the school or district to get a full picture of academic outcomes.
The school serves about a thousand students. Its student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller Black population and an even smaller Hispanic enrollment; Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students each make up a very small share, and students identifying as two or more races account for a modest portion. About one out of every five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is lower than what many public high schools see and reflects the area’s above-median household income and suburban economic context. Data on students served under an Individualized Education Program and on English learners was not available, so a family with a child who has special education needs or is learning English should ask the school directly about those supports.
Housing in the area is well above the national median home value, and rents have been rising, which aligns with the city’s rapid population growth and family-oriented suburban character. For a family moving into the district, the cost of entry is relatively high.
Wentzville is a car-oriented suburban environment with a small historic downtown core. The city’s major employer is the General Motors plant, and the school district itself is another large employer. Civic anchors include a public library, a large park that hosts the county fair, and the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the United States. The city continues to grow, and the school district has added high schools to keep pace.
Without test scores or a graduation rate in the data, it is hard to place the school’s academic performance relative to other high schools in St. Charles County. The comparison set of five districts in the county was available for proficiency, graduation, and chronic absenteeism, but none could be calculated for this school because the underlying data was missing. A parent will want to follow up with the district or school to understand how Holt students perform on state assessments and what share graduate on time. The school’s size is substantial, and its student demographics reflect the wider community’s racial and economic composition. For a family considering this school, the missing academic metrics are the central question.
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