General Info

Fredericktown History Fredericktown is located in Southeast Missouri in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is ninety (90) miles south of St. Louis and fifty (50) miles northwest of Cape Girardeau, on United States Highway 67 and Missouri Highway 72. The population is approximately 4, 000. There is a total school population of 1892. The community served by Fredericktown R-1 School District is mainly rural. The area's economic base was once farming and mining. Fredericktown has a long history or boom or bust. The mining industry, when it was active, brought prosperity. As the mines played out, hard times have been experienced. Mine LaMotte was the most stable and productive mine, but there has been many more in the area. The Buckeye mine was the site of a chemical separation plant which was built during world War 2, to separate the cobalt, lead, copper, and nickel ore. Now there are no operating mine within the county. During the depths of the Great Depression in the 1930's, at a very bleak time in Fredericktown history, a group of men offered to operate a shoe factory if a building could be secured. The Chamber of Commerce directed a campaign to collect money, buy land, and build a building. Many citizens donated money or worked as carpenters, laborers, electricians, or whatever was needed to build the factory. Brown Shoe Company later built warehouse and shoe manufacturing plant on another site in Fredericktown. Due to the reduction of Brown Shoe Company, the warehouse in only operating part of the company at this time. Major employers currently include Cap America, Madison Medical Center, Stockhoff Nursing Home, and Fredericktown R-1 School District. Livestock has been the major type of farming over the years. Presently, more and more farmers are working part-time and many commute to greater St. Louis area to work. Fredericktown R-1 School District as it is known today came into existence in 1967. In May of 1967 the patrons of the Mill Creek School District voted to annex to Fredericktown. The next month, East Madison, Mine LaMotte, and Fredericktown voted to reorganize and form one district. The district became the Fredericktown Reorganized District Number One. In 1970 the school district purchased a farm that joins the city limits for the purpose of building a new high school plant. Prior to construction, the site was annexed to the city. The current high school, built in 1976 located on a 57-acre tract on the eastern edge of Fredericktown. The Fredericktown Senior High is composed of grades nine through twelve with approximately 570 enrolled. The complex consists of the main high school building, a vocational building, gymnasium, athletic facilities, a bus garage, and a parking lot. The district central administration offices were built in 1980 also on the site. The school is classified as "accredited" under the Missouri School Improvement Program. The school participates in the area vocational school in Bonne Terre, Missouri. Students are transported daily to the site. The high school is organized on a seven-period school day to enable students to arrange their schedule to take advantage or more subjects or special interest. Twenty-four units of credit are required for graduation. In 1955 the middle school was built. It originally housed the high school. Now our middle school houses grades 6, 7, and 8. Course work is provided in all core academic subjects. Additional course include family and consumer sciences, business technology, industrial technology, communication arts, foreign language, school publications, music, band, computer technology, physical education and many other programs. The Primary Elementary on the corner of Newberry and High Street was constructed in 1965 and now houses K-2. The Intermediate Center houses grades 3 through 5. It was constructed in 1988. The old administrative offices located at Benson and Marshall now house the Parents As Teachers Program. Our K-5 schools provide excellent progra