Kirkwood High School is a public secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. The current principal is Dr. Seth Harrell, who started in August 2023. Before becoming principal of Kirkwood High School, Harrell served as the principal of Jackson High School in Jackson, Missouri, from 2016.
History
Kirkwood High School as an academic institution dates back to 1865, when the Kirkwood School District was founded. A temporary building opened in the fall of 1866; high school and elementary students attended school together. Jefferson Avenue School was the district's first formal school and was built in 1869. The Booker T. Washington School, which opened in 1869 at 430 West Adams Avenue near Geyer Road was built for African-American students to attend. In 1888, the district built the Adams Avenue School next to the Jefferson School, which offered a two-year high school program for White students completing elementary grades. In 1896, Kirkwood offered the first four-year high school program in St. Louis County; 10 students were members of the first graduating class in the spring of 1897. In 1922, a new, four-year high school was built on Kirkwood Road, where Nipher Middle School is currently located.
A new Kirkwood High School opened in 1955 on a campus and was designed with seven buildings set on a college-like campus. For the first time in the district, both Caucasian and African-American students were permitted to attend school together. Facilities funded by a 1993 tax/bond issue (Proposition I) included the Thomas N. Keating Performance Center (a fine arts complex with an 821-seat theater), and band, art and vocal music classrooms. The privately funded Walker Commons enclosed the theater lobby area connecting the Center to the main campus.
Due to the passage of Proposition I in 2005, a new science building opened in August 2007. The two-story structure measures and features 15 combined science classrooms/laboratories (five each for chemistry, biology and physics). Each classroom/laboratory averages about and was designed to facilitate the movement of students from discussion to hands-on activities. The facility was designed to reflect current research and best practices in science education. The private Kirkwood School District Foundation raised funds to ensure students had the equipment and technology needed to mirror the recommendations in the National Science Foundation report to Congress.
Prop I funded the construction of a new regulation-size gymnasium. Renovation of the existing physical education facility was completed in March 2008. Prop I also funded a variety of infrastructure improvements, including the installation of a new fire alarm, sprinkler system, and a decentralized heating and cooling system. A new football field was finished in 2019, and a new track was finished in 2011.
Recognition
The 2016 Niche report placed the school as the 2nd best public high school in the state and in the ninety-ninth percentile of the 18,841 public high schools in the country. Regarding college readiness, in 2020 GreatSchools.org gave the school a very high score for its White students but a middling score for its Black students, explaining that large differences between groups suggest that some groups of students may not be getting necessary support. In addition, the report indicated that test scores for low-income students fell below the state average.
Kirkwood High school was featured in CNN's “Heroin: The poisoning of America” and was covered nationally by CNN's Deborah Feyerick. The area of Kirkwood, Missouri was found to have four times the national average of heroin overdoses.
Kirkwood High School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon school for the 2022-2023 school year.
Allegations of sexual abuse, permissive district culture
In July 2020, multiple allegations began to surface on social media of alleged sexual abuse of students by high school and other personnel dating back to at least the 1990s. Allegations came from more than a dozen former high school students. It was also alleged that the district failed to take appropriate measures to address the incidents and prevent recurrences. Criminal investigations into at least two alleged abusers were begun.
In August 2020, the board of education approved the hiring of the Kansas City firm Encompass Resolution, LLC to analyze and make recommendations about the district's climate related to the reporting and handling of sexual abuse allegations. The company advertises itself as providing "workplace solutions" to "protect your business" and "keep your work environment healthy."