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Smith-Cotton High School

Q: Is Smith-Cotton High School a good school?

Smith-Cotton High School ranks 187 th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

187^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 367 Missouri High Schools

Better than 49% of Missouri high schools

Summary

Smith-Cotton High School is a public high school located in Sedalia, Missouri, serving 1,535 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Sedalia 200 School District, which is ranked 140 out of 367 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Smith-Cotton High School has maintained a consistently high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 91.4% to 94.2% over the past few years, which is above the state average. However, the school has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (17.3% to 22.8%) compared to the state average. While the school's test scores in subjects like Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and Government are generally lower than the state and district averages, its Gifted and Talented program is among the top 3 to 9 high schools in Missouri.

Compared to nearby high schools, such as Lincoln High, Windsor High, Knob Noster High, and Cole Camp High, Smith-Cotton High School generally performs better than Windsor High and Otterville High, but lags behind the other schools in terms of academic performance, graduation rates, and other key metrics. The school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds may be a contributing factor to these challenges.

1,551

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,384

Per pupil spending ?

59.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2010 Tiger Pride Boulevard
Sedalia, MO 65301-5898

(660) 851-5300

District: Sedalia 200

Feeder schools for Smith-Cotton High School:

Elementary:

Pettis County Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.9%

Hispanic:

21.1%

Two or more races:

8.2%

See top rated Missouri high schools

Compare Smith-Cotton High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 49th in 2025

Strengths

✓94% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (39% vs 45% meeting standards)

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

!Algebra I scores 20 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg43%

Missouri avg45%

187^th of 367

Missouri public high schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 26 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

140^th of 367Sedalia 200 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	43.4	187 of 367	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	170 of 378	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.5	121 of 352	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.5	180 of 361	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.1	102 of 358	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	45.7	226 of 460	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.9	271 of 468	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.0	232 of 404	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	54.5	167 of 401	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	33.3	388 of 504	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	40.6	335 of 521	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.4	306 of 523	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.0	266 of 522	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.9	377 of 528	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.4	378 of 516	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	44.2	293 of 507	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.4	393 of 539	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	40.5	371 of 538	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.8	337 of 534	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	62.9	28 of 105	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	28.1	79 of 106	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	26.8	90 of 111	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	95 of 129	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	32 of 53	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	40 of 45	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	69.9	5 of 42	88.1%	★★★★★
2022	23.2	29 of 33	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	78.0	3 of 96	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	74.7	9 of 100	91.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	29.6	54 of 74	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.7	18 of 70	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	47.2	31 of 64	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.6	44 of 57	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	60.9	10 of 40	75.0%	★★★★☆
2019	24.9	72 of 91	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	72 of 84	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	10 of 20	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2024	51.8	111 of 274	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	61 of 268	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	37.2	161 of 250	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	76.1	35 of 255	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	36.4	243 of 368	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	265 of 382	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	25.7	21 of 28	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.2	48 of 59	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	68 of 138	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.7	123 of 135	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	94 of 127	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	166 of 306	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	158 of 321	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	91 of 302	69.9%	★★★★☆
2022	40.7	162 of 310	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.1	88 of 309	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	50.4	160 of 430	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	225 of 440	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2019)97th percentile+46 vs school

African American (2022)73rd percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)59th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)51st percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)50th percentile~ school

White (2025)46th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)25th percentile-25 vs school

Disabled (2022)19th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Algebra II74%+16 vs state

English II48%-5 vs state

Biology I33%-4 vs state

Government32%-9 vs state

Algebra I25%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Smith-Cotton High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)			MAP Science (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 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th 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
Smith-Cotton High School	Public	9-12	2010 Tiger Pride Boulevard	Sedalia	65301	Pettis County	Sedalia 200	No	No	No	No	(660) 851-5300	1,551	92	16.9	59.6%	1,022 (65.9%)	51 (3.3%)	327 (21.1%)	11 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	10 (0.6%)	127 (8.2%)	43.4	187^th of 367 public high schools	49.0%		46.8	170^th of 378 public high schools	55.0%	17							25.3	33.0	47.8	73.8	31.8	$12,384	$1,222	$11,162
State Fair	Public	9-12	3201 West 16th Street	Sedalia	65301	Pettis County	State Fair Community College	No	No	No	No	(660) 530-5800	0	8	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Smithton High	Public	7-12	505 S Myrtle	Smithton	65350	Pettis County	Smithton R-VI	No	No	No	No	(660) 343-5318	217	22	9.8	37.3%	211 (97.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)								(n/a)		48.8		20.7	33.3		38.8					$13,158	$649	$12,509
Green Ridge High	Public	7-12	401 W Pettis St	Green Ridge	65332	Pettis County	Green Ridge R-VIII	No	No	No	No	(660) 527-3315	181	15	11.9	43.1%	154 (85.1%)	1 (0.6%)	17 (9.4%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)								(n/a)		56.6					49.9					$10,519	$427	$10,091
La Monte High	Public	7-12	301 S Washington	La Monte	65337	Pettis County	La Monte R-IV	No	No	No	No	(660) 347-5439	144	14	10.1	61.1%	67 (46.5%)	2 (1.4%)	71 (49.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)								(n/a)			45.8		29.3			16.8				$14,617	$1,276	$13,341
Northwest High	Public	7-12	16215 Hwy H	Hughesville	65334	Pettis County	Pettis County R-V	No	No	No	No	(660) 827-0774	167	13	12.9	45.5%	158 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)								(n/a)												$12,227	$600	$11,627
Otterville High	Public	6-12	101 W Georgetown St	Otterville	65348	Cooper County	Otterville R-VI	No	No	No	No	(660) 366-4621	102	12	8.6	32.4%	97 (95.1%)	2 (2.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	2.7	367^th of 367 public high schools	0.0%		15.4	326^th of 378 public high schools	13.8%	41	23.2					7.2		6.0	6.3			$13,981	$401	$13,580
Cole Camp High	Public	7-12	500 Keeney St	Cole Camp	65325	Benton County	Cole Camp R-I	No	No	No	No	(660) 668-3751	344	28	12.5	46.5%	322 (93.6%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	54.7	130^th of 367 public high schools	64.6%					(n/a)		57.3	54.7	49.9	46.8	53.2	46.2	37.4				$11,727	$1,323	$10,404
Windsor High	Public	7-12	210 North St	Windsor	65360	Henry County	Henry County R-I	No	No	No	No	(660) 647-3106	334	29	11.6	56.9%	314 (94.0%)	5 (1.5%)	11 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.6	338^th of 367 public high schools	7.9%		10.6	345^th of 378 public high schools	8.7%	7			16.7	33.2	27.7		6.2	17.4	21.9		8.8	$11,893	$139	$11,755
Knob Noster High	Public	9-12	504 S Washington	Knob Noster	65336	Johnson County	Knob Noster R-VIII	No	No	No	No	(660) 563-2283	474	36	13.2	30.4%	370 (78.1%)	21 (4.4%)	32 (6.8%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (4.0%)	23 (4.9%)	45.9	179^th of 367 public high schools	51.2%		50.3	149^th of 378 public high schools	60.6%	30							48.8	32.3			32.0	$13,977	$2,162	$11,815

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith-Cotton High School

What schools feed into Smith-Cotton High School?

Smith-Cotton High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Pettis County Elementary

Is Smith-Cotton High School a good school?

Smith-Cotton High School ranks 187^th of 367 Missouri high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Smith-Cotton High School in?

Sedalia 200

What is the racial makeup of Smith-Cotton High School?

Students at Smith-Cotton High School are 66% White, 21% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend Smith-Cotton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,551 students attended Smith-Cotton High School.

Rate Smith-Cotton High School!

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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.