History
The first school in Festus opened around 1880, with the first "regular" school opening in September 1882, for a six-month term. The first high school was started in 1901. After a student graduated from this two-year program, he or she could teach in the lower grades. The high school enrollment in October, 1913, was 47 students, with the 11th grade as the highest grade offered. By 1914–15, the school was now a four-year high school. There was some discussion in August 1916 about consolidating the high school with Crystal City, but it never progressed beyond a discussion. In March 1916, the Douglass High School for Black students, a one-story, two-room was destroyed by fire. Classes were then held in the black Masonic hall while a new school was constructed. On November 6, 1923, the Festus High School was destroyed by fire, including all furnishings, 1000 books, trophies, and equipment. There was city water supply at that time, which made it difficult to fight the blaze. The building and contents were valued at $60,000, but the district (Festus District #48) only had insurance for $16,500. The principal, R.E. Wood, risked his life to enter the building and retrieve the school records. A new elementary school (Eugene Field School, intended for grades 5–8) had just been completed and was made available to the high school students, while the lower grade students continued in the American Legion Hall. On September 19, 1924, the cornerstone was laid for a new high school building, on the same site as the building which had burned. It was completed in May 1925. In 1939–40, the Douglass Cooperative four-year high school for black students opened with 65 students from Crystal City, Herculaneum, Festus, Bonne Terre, DeSoto, Potosi, Farmington, Frederickson and St. Marys. In March 2018, the passing of Proposition 1, started the construction of several projects, including upgrades to the stadium (new entry and concessions) and the addition of a band room at the high school. In April 2019, Proposition F passed for a 59-cent tax increase. One of the projects funded by the new tax increase, a new Performing Arts Center at the high school, started construction in 2020. Brockmiller Construction of Farmington was awarded a $12,3777,660 contract to build the center, scheduled to be completed fall of 2021. ==Finances==
Finances
The assessed value of FSD is estimated to be $272 Million as of 2018 with a tax levy of $3.7453. The average teacher salary as of January 2018 is $54,026 while the average administrator makes nearly $100,000. ==Demographics==