Jefferson City School District
Jefferson City, Missouri · Cole County · Grades Pre-K–12
Jefferson City School District runs 16 schools (11 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 1 pre-k) with 8,491 students. By enrollment it is the 21st largest of 556 districts in Missouri, where the median district has 566 students. NCES classifies its area as city, small.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank compares the 556 Missouri districts listed on this site.
District at a glance
| Schools | 16 |
| Students | 8,491 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 733.1 |
| Students per teacher | 11.6 (state 12.8) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 55.7% (state 49.2%) |
| County | Cole County |
| Area type | City, small |
| NCES district ID | 2916190 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, totals of the district's schools. Students per teacher = students ÷ full-time-equivalent teachers.
Schools in Jefferson City
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belair Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 363 | 11.9 | 51.2% |
| Callaway Hills Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 224 | 10.4 | 54.5% |
| Capital City High School | High | 9–12 | 1,314 | 13.6 | 42.5% |
| Cedar Hill Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 313 | 11.1 | 49.5% |
| Clarence Lawson Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 440 | 12.2 | 50.5% |
| East Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 286 | 9.5 | 100% |
| Jefferson City High School | High | 9–12 | 1,353 | 13.2 | 50.4% |
| Lewis and Clark Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 966 | 11.6 | 54.2% |
| Moreau Heights Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 324 | 10 | 64.5% |
| North Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 367 | 12.7 | 51% |
| Pioneer Trail Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 396 | 11.3 | 50.3% |
| South Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 302 | 11.3 | 100% |
| Southwest Early Childhood Center | Pre-K | Pre-K | 305 | 10 | 54.8% |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 927 | 11.9 | 50.4% |
| Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 294 | 10.5 | 100% |
| West Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 317 | 11.8 | 54.3% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25.
Map of Jefferson City schools
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Jefferson City in context
Size
Jefferson City School District enrolls 1% of Missouri's 885,129 public school students and is larger than the median district (566 students). Its schools average 531 students, against 386 for a Missouri public school. The largest is Jefferson City High School (1,353) and the smallest is Callaway Hills Elementary School (224).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment. Share = district students ÷ all students in Missouri schools listed here; averages = students ÷ schools.
Grades
Its largest grade this year is grade 9, with 714 students. Grade 12 has 671 students and kindergarten has 598, 12% more in the later grade. Each grade is a different group of students, so this is not a dropout or growth rate. Jefferson City enrolls 305 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade, all schools in the district.
Students
White students are the largest group in Jefferson City at 60%, below their 66.9% share of Missouri public school students. Black students make up 19.3%.
55.7% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 49.2% statewide. By school, the share runs from 42.5% at Capital City High School to 100% at Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary School. 4 of its 16 schools serve free meals to every student under the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3; at the others, families apply based on income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District and state shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Staff
Its 733.1 full-time-equivalent teachers work out to 11.6 students per teacher, fewer than the state's 12.8. With 29.5 counselors it has 288 students per counselor; the median Missouri district has 265, and the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250. It reports 17 librarians or media specialists and 13.4 school psychologists.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file (full-time equivalents). Students per counselor = district students ÷ counselors. Benchmark: American School Counselor Association, 250 students per counselor.
Location
Jefferson City is based inside a principal city of fewer than 100,000 people, an area NCES calls city, small. The nearest district is Blair Oaks R-II School District, 6.2 miles away with 1,163 students. 16 districts are within 25 miles, and 0 of them enroll more students than Jefferson City. Cole County has 4 districts on this site.
Source: NCES EDGE locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines between the average locations of each district's schools.
Staff
| Role | Full-time equivalent | Students per staff member |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers | 733.1 | 12 |
| School counselors | 29.5 | 288 |
| Librarians and media specialists | 17 | 499 |
| School psychologists | 13.4 | 634 |
| Instructional aides | 112.1 | 76 |
| Other student support staff | 63.8 | 133 |
| School administrators | 33.9 | 250 |
| District administrators | 7 | 1,213 |
| All staff | 1,459.7 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file. Students per staff member = district students ÷ full-time-equivalent staff in that role. The median Missouri district has 265 students per counselor.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 60% |
| Black | 19.3% |
| Two or more races | 10.5% |
| Hispanic | 7.8% |
| Asian | 2% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.2% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership, all schools in the district.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 305 |
| Kindergarten | 598 |
| Grade 1 | 557 |
| Grade 2 | 583 |
| Grade 3 | 630 |
| Grade 4 | 648 |
| Grade 5 | 610 |
| Grade 6 | 648 |
| Grade 7 | 588 |
| Grade 8 | 657 |
| Grade 9 | 714 |
| Grade 10 | 671 |
| Grade 11 | 611 |
| Grade 12 | 671 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Nearby school districts
| District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Calendar 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blair Oaks R-II School District | 6 mi | 1,163 | 14.3 | – |
| New Bloomfield R-III School District | 11 mi | 712 | 12.8 | – |
| Southern Boone County R-I School District | 14 mi | 1,971 | 12.5 | – |
| Osage County R-III School District | 14 mi | 738 | 11.9 | – |
| Cole County R-I School District | 15 mi | 604 | 11 | – |
| South Callaway County R-II School District | 18 mi | 759 | 10.8 | – |
| Cole County R-V School District | 18 mi | 629 | 12.7 | – |
| Jamestown C-1 School District | 20 mi | 179 | 8.9 | – |
Distance between the average locations of each district's schools (NCES EDGE).
Other school districts in Cole County
- Blair Oaks R-II School District (1,163 students)
- Cole County R-V School District (629 students)
- Cole County R-I School District (604 students)
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, county of each district's office.
Contact
315 E Dunklin St, Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573)659-3000
Website: jcschools.us
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory.