W. E. Sears Youth Center
Public high school in Poplar Bluff, Missouri · Division of Youth Service · Grades 5–12
W. E. Sears Youth Center serves 54 students in grades 5–12 in Poplar Bluff (Butler County). It is one of 24 schools in Division of Youth Service. By enrollment it is the 513th largest of 558 public high schools in Missouri (median 268 students). With 6 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Missouri high school (12.2).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 558 Missouri high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 9 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 5–12 |
| District | Division of Youth Service |
| County | Butler County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 290000901178 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | Division of Youth Service | Missouri high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 54 | 496 | 268 |
| Students per teacher | 6 | 6.7 | 12.2 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 94.4% | 84.8% | 46.2% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 6% of Missouri high schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
W. E. Sears Youth Center in context
Size
W. E. Sears Youth Center is the largest of Division of Youth Service's 24 high schools; its 54 students are 10.9% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest high schools sit a median 19.3 miles away with a median enrollment of 200; W. E. Sears Youth Center is smaller than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 9 with 21 students, and its smallest is grade 6 with 1, against an average of 8 per grade. This year grade 12 has 800% more students than grade 6 (9 against 1). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is White students: 66.7% here and 60.5% across Division of Youth Service. Black students are next, at 27.8%. Students from 4 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
94.4% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 84.8% across Division of Youth Service and a median of 46.2% for Missouri high schools. 46.3% are directly certified for free meals, meaning their families take part in programs such as SNAP or TANF, so no application was needed. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 9 full-time-equivalent teachers for 54 students, W. E. Sears Youth Center has 6 students per teacher. At the median Missouri high school ratio of 12.2, a school with 54 students would have about 4.4 teachers, so W. E. Sears Youth Center has 4.6 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Missouri high schools (12.2).
Location
W. E. Sears Youth Center is in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town, which NCES calls rural, distant. The nearest other high school is Sierra-Osage Treatment Center, 0.2 miles away in the same district. Within 10 miles there are 2 other high schools, 1 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 66.7% |
| Black | 27.8% |
| Two or more races | 3.7% |
| Hispanic | 1.9% |
0% of students are girls and 100% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 1 |
| Grade 7 | 2 |
| Grade 8 | 5 |
| Grade 9 | 21 |
| Grade 10 | 12 |
| Grade 11 | 4 |
| Grade 12 | 9 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
9400 Sears Ln, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901
Phone: (573)840-9280
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: W. E. Sears Youth Center. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra-Osage Treatment Center | Division of Youth Service | 0.2 mi | 14 | 4.7 | 78.6% |
| Poplar Bluff High School | Poplar Bluff R-I | 5.8 mi | 1,416 | 16.3 | 55.6% |
| East Carter County R-II High School | East Carter County R-II | 13.8 mi | 180 | 12.2 | 60.6% |
| Greenville High School | Greenville R-II | 19.1 mi | 209 | 13.1 | 52.2% |
| Twin Rivers High School | Twin Rivers R-X | 19.5 mi | 250 | 11.5 | 52.8% |
| Mingo Puxico Technical High School | Puxico R-VIII | 20.6 mi | 37 | 37 | 35.1% |
| Puxico High School | Puxico R-VIII | 20.6 mi | 191 | 11 | 46.1% |
| Neelyville High School | Neelyville R-IV | 20.6 mi | 301 | 12.7 | 60.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Division of Youth Service
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissell Hall | High | 6–12 | 22 |
| Camp Avery Park Camp | High | 6–12 | 18 |
| Datema House | High | 5–12 | 10 |
| Excel School | High | 6–12 | 23 |
| Fort Bellefontaine Campus | High | 6–12 | 12 |
| Fulton Treatment Center | High | 6–12 | 30 |
| Gateway School | High | 5–12 | 11 |
| Gentry Residential Treat. Fac. | High | 6–12 | 22 |
| Girardot Center for Youth | High | 5–12 | 24 |
| Hogan St Regional Youth Center | High | 6–12 | 17 |
| Langsford House | High | 5–12 | 11 |
| Lewis and Clark Hall | High | 6–12 | 14 |
| Met Day Treatment Center | High | 6–12 | 11 |
| Mt. Vernon Treatment Center | High | 6–12 | 26 |
| New Day - Day Treatment | High | 6–12 | 22 |
| Northwest Reg. Youth Center | High | 6–12 | 20 |
| Riverbend Treatment Center | High | 6–12 | 17 |
| Sierra-Osage Treatment Center | High | 5–12 | 14 |
| Sikeston Hope Center | High | 6–12 | 11 |
| Twin Rivers | High | 6–12 | 10 |
| Watkins Mill Park Camp | High | 6–12 | 46 |
| Waverly Regional Youth Center | High | 6–12 | 28 |
| Wilson Creek Group Home | High | 6–12 | 12 |