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Lafayette High

Q: Is Lafayette High a good school?

Lafayette High ranks 275 th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

275^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 367 Missouri High Schools

Better than 25% of Missouri high schools

Summary

Lafayette High is a public high school located in Saint Joseph, Missouri, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 680 students. The school is part of the St. Joseph School District, which is ranked 218 out of 367 districts in Missouri and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Over the past several years, Lafayette High has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri high schools, with its ranking ranging from 275 out of 367 schools in 2024-2025 to 352 out of 460 schools in 2018-2019. The school's performance for specific student subgroups is also concerning, with the school ranking 88 out of 99 Missouri high schools for African American students and 48 out of 64 for Hispanic students in 2022-2023, both with a 1-star rating. Additionally, Lafayette High has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, with the percentage ranging from 25.7% to 40.6% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to other high schools in the St. Joseph School District, such as Benton High and Central High, Lafayette High generally underperforms, with lower statewide rankings, worse graduation rates, and lower test scores. However, when compared to smaller, rural high schools in the surrounding area, such as North Andrew High and Dekalb Junior-Senior High, Lafayette High's performance is mixed, with higher graduation rates but lower test scores in some areas.

644

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,249

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

412 Highland Ave
Saint Joseph, MO 64505-1809

(816) 671-4220

District: St. Joseph

Feeder schools for Lafayette High:

Elementary:	Lindbergh Elementary
	Pershing Elementary
Middle:	Robidoux Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.4%

Two or more races:

12.7%

Hispanic:

10.7%

See top rated Missouri high schools

Compare Lafayette High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 11th percentile in 2023 → 25th in 2025

Strengths

✓94% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 25th (2025) from a 11th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (31% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English II scores 17 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg38%

Missouri avg44%

275^th of 367

Missouri public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the St. Joseph

218^th of 367St. Joseph among Missouri districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	275 of 367	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	325 of 378	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	315 of 352	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	289 of 361	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.5	260 of 358	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	352 of 460	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	368 of 468	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	65.2	124 of 404	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.1	212 of 401	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	56.6	204 of 504	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.9	101 of 521	80.6%	★★★★☆
2013	48.7	269 of 523	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.0	228 of 522	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	14.7	484 of 528	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	14.3	479 of 516	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.1	479 of 507	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	42.5	351 of 539	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.9	373 of 538	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.7	289 of 534	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2023	22.4	88 of 99	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.3	28 of 111	74.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2021	9.6	126 of 129	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	73 of 103	29.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.9	77 of 95	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	48 of 53	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	57 of 74	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	65 of 70	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	48 of 64	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.7	40 of 40	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	104 of 279	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.3	189 of 274	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.1	221 of 268	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.8	170 of 250	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.4	110 of 255	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.6	269 of 368	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.2	305 of 382	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	24 of 40	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.1	28 of 28	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	41 of 138	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	37.1	91 of 135	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	16.9	120 of 127	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	246 of 306	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	305 of 321	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	287 of 302	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	260 of 310	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	244 of 309	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	327 of 430	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	361 of 440	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)70th percentile+45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile+38 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)40th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)23rd percentile~ school

White (2025)20th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2023)11th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)9th percentile-16 vs school

Disabled (2021)2nd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Biology I39%~ state avg

English II36%-17 vs state

Algebra I30%-15 vs state

Government25%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lafayette High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)	MAP English Language Arts (2025)	MAP Algebra I (2025)	MAP Biology I (2025)	MAP English II (2025)	MAP Algebra II (2025)	MAP Government (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	MAP Biology I End of Course	MAP English II End of Course	MAP Algebra II End of Course	MAP Government End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lafayette High	Public	9-12	412 Highland Ave	Saint Joseph	64505	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 671-4220	644	53	12.1	100.0%	415 (64.4%)	57 (8.9%)	69 (10.7%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (2.0%)	82 (12.7%)	28.4	275^th of 367 public high schools	25.1%		15.6	325^th of 378 public high schools	14.0%	50			30.2	39.4	36.2		25.4	$17,249	$506	$16,743
Central High	Public	9-12	2602 Edmond	Saint Joseph	64501	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4080	1,733	105	16.4	37.6%	1,078 (62.2%)	129 (7.4%)	266 (15.3%)	51 (2.9%)	4 (0.2%)	41 (2.4%)	164 (9.5%)	48.2	169^th of 367 public high schools	54.0%		34.6	236^th of 378 public high schools	37.6%	67			26.5	55.8	45.6	92.2	38.5	$14,181	$233	$13,948
Western Recept/Diag Corr Centr	Public	7-12	3401 Faraon St	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	Department Of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(816) 387-2158	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Western Region Treatment Centr	Public	7-12	3401 Faraon St	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	Department Of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(816) 387-2158	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hillyard Technical Center	Public	9-12	3434 Faraon	Saint Joseph	64506	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4170	0	26	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Benton High	Public	9-12	5655 S Fourth	Saint Joseph	64504	Buchanan County	St. Joseph	No	No	No	No	(816) 671-4030	682	51	13.4	46.9%	491 (72.0%)	18 (2.6%)	96 (14.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	64 (9.4%)	36.2	228^th of 367 public high schools	37.9%		24.6	285^th of 378 public high schools	24.6%	57			15.8	58.9			32.6	$16,134	$429	$15,705
Riverbend Treatment Center	Public	6-12	5910 Mitchell Ave	Saint Joseph	64507	Buchanan County	Division Of Youth Service	No	No	No	No	(816) 390-9801	17	5	3.4	82.4%	9 (52.9%)	7 (41.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.9%)								(n/a)
Mid-Buchanan Senior High	Public	7-12	3221 SE State Rte H	Faucett	64448	Buchanan County	Mid-Buchanan County R-V	No	No	No	No	(816) 238-1646	415	30	13.8	17.8%	393 (94.7%)	5 (1.2%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	71.3	63^rd of 367 public high schools	82.8%					(n/a)	57.4	35.6	63.6	41.5				$13,033	$205	$12,828
Savannah High	Public	9-12	701 State Rte E	Savannah	64485	Andrew County	Savannah R-III	No	No	No	No	(816) 324-3128	752	46	16.2	30.7%	711 (94.5%)	8 (1.1%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.6%)	60.4	102^nd of 367 public high schools	72.2%		47.8	162^nd of 378 public high schools	57.1%	60			40.2	44.1	51.1		48.0	$11,210	$214	$10,996
Dekalb Junior-Senior High	Public	7-12	702 Main St	De Kalb	64440	Buchanan County	Buchanan County R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 685-3211	120	16	7.5	26.7%	118 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)								(n/a)								$18,321	$376	$17,945

Frequently Asked Questions about Lafayette High

What district is Lafayette High in?

St. Joseph

Is Lafayette High a good school?

Lafayette High ranks 275^th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Lafayette High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 644 students attended Lafayette High.

What is the racial makeup of Lafayette High?

Students at Lafayette High are 64% White, 13% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 9% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Lafayette High?

Lafayette High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Lindbergh Elementary
Elementary : Pershing Elementary
Middle : Robidoux Middle

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.