Potential 2 high-school model changes MSHSAA Classification landscape for SJSD
By Chris Roush
News Director
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- While Central High School is already in the highest Missouri State High School Activities Association classification for most sports, the move to a two high-school model will drastically change Benton's classification.
If the St. Joseph School District's Board of Education moves forward to vote and approve Plan 4BR—Benton and Central—on Monday, the sports and activities classifications will be significantly different.
District officials estimate that Central will house 1,914 students and Benton will have 1,070 students in the Plan 4BR plan.
It's very early in the enrollment process, but by taking 75% of each projected high school population, a rough estimate can be provided for 9th-11th-grade enrollment.
For Benton, the rough estimate is 803 students in 9th-11th grades. As for Central, the projected 9th-11th enrollment is 1,436.
When it comes to Benton, here are the projected classifications for each sport using 2025-2026 fall enrollment breaks and 2024-2025 spring and winter breaks from MSHSAA:
Benton:
Football- Large Class 4
Cross Country- Mid-sized Class 4
Girls Golf- Mid-sized Class 3
Boys Soccer- Mid-sized Class 3
Softball- Large Class 4
Girls Tennis- Large Class 1
Volleyball- Large Class 4
Basketball- Mid-sized Class 5
Boys Wrestling- Mid-sized Class 3
Girls Wrestling- Large Class 1
Baseball- Mid-sized Class 5
Boys Golf- Mid-sized Class 4
Girls Soccer- Small Class 3
Boys Tennis- Small Class 2
Track and Field- Large Class 4
Boys Volleyball- Class 1
Music Activities- Large Class 4
Scholar Bowl- Large Class 5
Speech & Debate- Large Class 1
Theatre- Large Class 1
At Central, the Indians are already in the majority of the largest classes across high school sports and activities. With this projection of 1,436 students in 9th-11th grade, Central will definitely be one of the largest schools in each class.
Central:
Football- Large Class 6
Cross Country- Large Class 5
Girls Golf- Large Class 4
Boys Soccer- Large Class 4
Softball- Large Class 5
Swimming- Mid-Sized Class 2
Girls Tennis- Large Class 3
Volleyball- Large Class 5
Basketball- Large Class 6
Boys Wrestling- Large Class 4
Girls Wrestling- Large Class 2
Baseball- Large Class 6
Boys Golf- Large Class 5
Girls Soccer- Large Class 4
Boys Tennis- Large Class 3
Track and Field- Large Class 5
Boys Volleyball- Large Class 1
Music Activities- Large Class 5
Scholar Bowl- Large Class 6
Speech and Debate- Large Class 2
Theatre- Large Class 1
The SJSD School Board is scheduled to vote on Monday, Nov. 24, during its regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m.
At Wednesday night's meeting, four board members said they plan to vote for Plan 4BR. Those members include Ronda Chesney, Jennifer Kerns, Kim Miller and Tom Richmond.
