Can I use Boone County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Boone County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Boone County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Boone County?

Start with the 56 listed public schools and 6 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Boone County Schools & Education

Name: Boone County, Missouri Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Boone County, Missouri

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

45/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

91.2%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

91.2%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 91.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,696

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,334

School Score

45/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 43/100

State Score Position

#49

of 115 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Boone County

Measured School Summary

Boone County performs at an average level with a school score of 45/100 and a solid graduation rate of 91.2%.

Funding Context

At $6,696 per pupil, Boone County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 5% above the Missouri average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 0.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Boone County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

56 public schools and 6 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

45/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #49 of 115 Missouri counties with school score data.

Completion

91.2%

0.1 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,696

$362 above the state average

School coverage

6 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Boone County has 56 public schools across 6 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Boone County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

COLUMBIA 93 carries most of the listed public-school system, with 36 of 56 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#49

of 115 Missouri counties with school score data. The county score is 2 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

COLUMBIA 93

Elementary to high school visible

18,800 students

Elementary 22Middle 7High 4Other 3

36 listed schools in this county slice.

SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I

Elementary to high school visible

2,006 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

HALLSVILLE R-IV

Elementary to high school visible

1,510 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

CENTRALIA R-VI

Elementary to high school visible

1,330 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

COLUMBIA 93 is the largest listed district slice, with 36 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Boone County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Boone County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Columbia 93 District Enrolls Over Seventy-Five Percent of Boone County Students

Education data brief for Boone County, Missouri.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:District structure

Boone County’s educational landscape is defined by the Columbia 93 district, which enrolls 18,800 of the county’s 24,730 total public school students. The district manages 36 of the 56 total schools in the county, including David H. Hickman High and Rock Bridge Sr. High, both of which serve over 2,000 students. The county features a mix of 30 city schools and 21 rural schools. Per-pupil expenditure is $6,696, which is higher than the Missouri state average of $6,334 but significantly lower than the national average of $13,000. The county’s graduation rate is 91.2%, nearly identical to the state average of 91.3% and above the national average of 87.0%. The composite school score of 45.0 is higher than the state average of 43.1 but below the national median of 50.0. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Boone County

Reported Enrollment

24,730

56 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary30

Middle12

High10

Other4

6 School Districts in Boone County

COLUMBIA 93

SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I

4 schools

2,006 students

HALLSVILLE R-IV

4 schools

1,510 students

STURGEON R-V

4 schools

1,445 students

CENTRALIA R-VI

4 schools

1,330 students

HARRISBURG R-VIII

3 schools

613 students

56 Public Schools in Boone County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 3 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 56 matching schools

Public schools in Boone County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
DAVID H. HICKMAN HIGH	Profile	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	9–12	High	2,044
ROCK BRIDGE SR. HIGH	Profile	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	9–12	High	2,032
MURIEL W. BATTLE HIGH SCHOOL	Profile	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65202Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	1,581
ANN HAWKINS GENTRY MIDDLE	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	719
BEULAH RALPH ELEMENTARY	Record	COLUMBIA 93	Columbia, 65203Rural: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	678
MARY PAXTON KEELEY ELEM.	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	634
SOUTHERN BOONE MIDDLE	Record	SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I	ASHLAND, 65010Town: Fringe	5–8	Middle	629
JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65201City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	625
MILL CREEK ELEM.	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	593
ROCK BRIDGE ELEM.	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	589
JOHN WARNER MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	579
OAKLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65202City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	544
Southern Boone High	Record	SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I	ASHLAND, 65010Town: Fringe	9–12	High	540
JOHN B. LANGE MIDDLE	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65202City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	529
SMITHTON MIDDLE	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	521
SHEPARD BLVD. ELEM.	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65201City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	516
WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65203City: Midsize	6–8	Middle	504
SOUTHERN BOONE PRIMARY	Record	SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I	ASHLAND, 65010Rural: Fringe	PK–2	Primary	493
ALPHA HART LEWIS	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65202City: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	486
CEDAR RIDGE ELEM.	Record	COLUMBIA 93	COLUMBIA, 65201Rural: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	472

DAVID H. HICKMAN HIGH

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High2,044 students

ROCK BRIDGE SR. HIGH

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

Profile9–12High2,032 students

MURIEL W. BATTLE HIGH SCHOOL

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65202 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,581 students

ANN HAWKINS GENTRY MIDDLE

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle719 students

BEULAH RALPH ELEMENTARY

COLUMBIA 93

Columbia, 65203 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary678 students

MARY PAXTON KEELEY ELEM.

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary634 students

SOUTHERN BOONE MIDDLE

SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I

ASHLAND, 65010 / Town: Fringe

Record5–8Middle629 students

JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65201 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle625 students

MILL CREEK ELEM.

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary593 students

ROCK BRIDGE ELEM.

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary589 students

JOHN WARNER MIDDLE SCHOOL

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle579 students

OAKLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65202 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle544 students

Southern Boone High

SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I

ASHLAND, 65010 / Town: Fringe

Record9–12High540 students

JOHN B. LANGE MIDDLE

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65202 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle529 students

SMITHTON MIDDLE

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle521 students

SHEPARD BLVD. ELEM.

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65201 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary516 students

WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65203 / City: Midsize

Record6–8Middle504 students

SOUTHERN BOONE PRIMARY

SOUTHERN BOONE CO. R-I

ASHLAND, 65010 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–2Primary493 students

ALPHA HART LEWIS

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65202 / City: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary486 students

CEDAR RIDGE ELEM.

COLUMBIA 93

COLUMBIA, 65201 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary472 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,696

State avg $6,334

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Boone County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Missouri counties have the highest graduation rates?

Dallas County (97.0%), Dent County (97.0%), and Howell County (97.0%) currently lead Missouri among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Missouri?

Across Missouri counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,334. The highest current county values are St. Louis County ($9,027), Chariton County ($8,427), and Holt County ($8,173). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Boone County?

Boone County has a school score of 45/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Boone County?

The high school graduation rate in Boone County is 91.2%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Boone County spend per student?

Boone County spends $6,696 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Pettis County

Missouri

-0 pts

45/100

School score

Crawford County

Missouri

+0 pts

45/100

School score

Texas County

Missouri

-1 pts

45/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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