District Overview

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District Profile

Enrollment - 3,970

Conway Elementary - 381
Old Bonhomme Elementary - 412
Reed Elementary - 462
Spoede Elementary - 479
Ladue Middle School - 965
Ladue Horton Watkins High School - 1,271

Attendance & Graduation

Student Attendance Days: 178 days
Graduation Rate: 98% (Class of 2012)
Graduates attending a 2- or 4-year college/university - 93.3% (Class of 2012)

Financial Issues

2012 Per Pupil Expenditure: $11,902.86
Students Eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch (2011-2012): 10.56%
Teacher Salary Range: $41,000-$101,542
Average Teacher Salary: $62,697
Percentage of Total Operating Budget for Salaries & Benefits: 78.4%
Assessed Valuation (September 2012): $1,444,461,200
2012-2013 Tax Rate: Operations - $3.24; Debt Service - $0.39

Teachers & Classrooms

Full-Time Classroom Teachers: 280
Teachers with 10 or More Years of Experience: 157
Teachers with Advanced Degrees: 248
Average Elementary Class Size (2012-13): 20.16:1
Students to Classroom Teachers: 21.06:1

ACT Test Scores (Class of 2012)

	% Tested	Composite	English	Math	Reading	Science
Ladue	92%	26.4	27.3	25.5	26.6	25.5
Missouri	72%	21.6	21.4	21.1	21.9	21.5
National	49%	21.1	20.6	21.1	21.3	20.9

SAT Test Scores (Class of 2012)

	Critical Mean	Math Mean	Writing Mean
Ladue	646	642	639
Missouri	589	592	575
National	496	514	488

Ladue Early Childhood Center

More than 725 families receive services through the center through programs such as Parents As Teachers, Parents and Children Together and pre-school classes.

An Exceptional District

The Ladue School District comprises all or part of ten self-governed communities in St. Louis County, and encompasses approximately 19 square miles with a population of more than 27,000 residents.

The student body is socio-economically diverse with a graduation rate consistently exceeding 90 percent with 93% of 2012 graduates continuing on to college.

The parents and community residents are highly active in the schools and serve as members of Board of Education advisory committees, strategic planning initiatives, task forces and parent organizations.

The district is growing in student enrollment with a 21% increase (approximately 700 students) over the last seven years. According to projections, enrollment is expected to continue to increase for the next few years before reaching a plateau at approximately 4,000 students.

The district has established a preliminary operating budget of $56.5 million for the 2012- 13 fiscal year, and derives 95 percent of its revenue from local sources, the majority of which comes from property taxes.

National and Regional Recognitions

Widely recognized as one of the premier public school districts in the nation.

For the past 20 years, the National Merit Program has recognized approximately 10 percent of the members of each graduating class as a finalist, semifinalist or commended student.

The vast majority of our students take the ACT exam and Ladue Schools’ average composite score have been first in the state for four of the last five years.

In its 2012 ratings of “America’s Best High Schools”, Newsweek ranked Ladue Horton Watkins High School 188 in the national and fourth in Missouri.

The district has earned the prestigious “Distinction in Performance” Award from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) each year the award has been given.

The district has five Blue Ribbon Schools (one school has been recognized twice) and three Gold Star Schools (one school has been recognized twice).

Key Initiatives

The Board of Education has made a strong commitment to the district’s continued financial stability, emphasis on educational excellence, focus on professional development and planning for facilities to support the learning environment. Recent key initiatives include:

In April 2012, voters approved Proposition 1, a ballot initiative adding $.49 to the district’s operating tax levy, bringing it to $3.24. This is the first operating tax increase passed by voters since 1993. The district’s request came after district property tax revenue dropped 8% over the last five years, during which time the district made over $7 million in expenditure reductions. The passing of Prop 1 allowed the district to forego $2.1 million in additional expenditure reductions for the 2012-13 school year.

District voters passed three bond referendums over the last 11 years to build and renovate facilities. In 2001, a $40.9 million bond issue was passed to renovate and expandnexisting buildings. In April 2007, a $29.97 million bond issue resulted in the expansion and renovation of all K-12 buildings, as well as upgrades in technology, safety and security systems. In April 2010, a $32 million bond issue allowed the district to purchase property with existing educational facilities. A new early childhood center was built on this property and opened in the fall of 2012. A Fifth Grade Center will open in the renovated existing building in fall of 2013, alleviating overcrowding in the district’s elementary schools.

A comprehensive 2009-14 Strategic Plan was developed by the community, parents and staff members and provides guidance and focus for the district’s efforts to continuously support its mission and goals.

A Master Facilities Plan has been developed and approved by the Board to provide future plans and guidance in maintaining and developing educational facilities optimal to the learning needs of our students now and in the future.

Our Acting Superintendent

On January 2, 2013, Dr. Judy Sclair became Acting Superintendent for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year. Dr. Sclair was previously the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and continues to maintain responsibilities in the district’s Human Resources department.

Dr. Sclair has been an educator for over thirty-one years. She is a native of St. Louis and began her career as a teacher in the Warren County R-III School District in Warrenton, Missouri. She also taught fifth grade in the Ritenour School District, located in suburban St. Louis. Dr. Sclair’s background as an administrator includes over twenty-four years of experience, beginning in the Highland Park, Illinois School District 112 where she served as Assistant Principal, Associate Principal, and Principal for six years. She moved back to St. Louis in the mid-nineties, and served as principal for 11 years in suburban St. Louis school districts. She became the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in the School District of University City in 2006 and joined the Ladue School District as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in 2009. During her administrative career, Sclair has also served as a gifted coordinator, Title III and Title IV coordinator and has taught doctoral level courses as an adjunct professor at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Sclair possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Speech and Drama from the University of Missouri, Columbia; a Master’s degree and an Educational Specialist’s degree, (both in Educational Leadership) from Truman University in Kirksville, Missouri; and a Doctorate in Education—Educational Leadership, from St. Louis University.

Dr. Sclair is the past-president of the School Human Resources/Career Services Association, (SHRCSA), and currently serves as the President of the Missouri Association of School Personnel Administrators (MOASPA).

Missouri Legislators Representing Ladue Schools

Legislators need to hear from you on the issues that are important to you. They expect professional educators and members of school boards to advocate in a certain way for various education-related issues, so they put greater weight in the opinions of their constituents, like you.

To determine who your Missouri legislators are and how to reach them (by phone, fax, letter or e-mail), click here. You will be connected to the Cooperating Schools District (CSD) Legislative Action Center. This Web site is offered to the Ladue Schools and other CSD members as part of its membership services. From this site you can learn who your legislators are and how to communicate with them on various issues.