As early as 1807, there is evidence that a school was established in what is currently the Fort Zumwalt School District. The school was located in the log cabin home of Quentin Miller Zumwalt, wife of Jacob Zumwalt, an original settler of the area.

In 1869, a school for O’Fallon was built in the area known as Convent Park on the grounds of St. Mary's Academy. The townspeople hired Julius Riechenstein as the first teacher.

One- and two-room schools located in Flint Hill, Dyer, Josephville, Mount Hope, St. Peters and Cool Springs were opened in the late 1800s. In 1910, O’Fallon outgrew the one-room school and built two new schools at the present location of Hope High School.

A high school operated until 1918, when a parochial high school was established, leaving too few students to operate a public high school. Students wishing to attend a public high school were transported to St. Charles or Wentzville.

In 1947, the Missouri General Assembly enacted a school district reorganization law that included procedures for combining the state’s small school districts into larger units, thus providing more extensive and effective educational and service programs. This law required each Missouri county to elect a six-member board of education that would be responsible for developing a county plan of reorganization.

In St. Charles County, the newly elected board developed, and had approved by the state, a plan that proposed combining 12 small districts into one large district designated as Central School District R-II. Voters approved its formation July 19, 1949.

Joseph L. Mudd was hired as principal of the new facility, which now is the 100 wing of North Middle School. Soon more classrooms and a multi-purpose room were added.

In 1958, plans were formalized for construction of a high school to eliminate the necessity of transporting students to St. Charles and Wentzville. The high school opened in 1960 and an educational system for students in grades 1 through 12 was established.

During the next nine years, the increase in students at all levels was amazing. Additional elementary schools were added to help meet the continuing influx of students.

The Fort Zumwalt School District struggled to meet the demands of its growing student population while attempting to provide the very best in educational instruction. The district experienced several years of “split sessions” when students in the secondary grades were in buildings in shifts, some beginning at 6:30 a.m. and others ending at 6:45 p.m. Students returned to regular school hours in 1973-74.

Many classrooms, activity areas and office spaces were added to most buildings in the district to meet the growing number of students. The kindergarten curriculum and subsequent classrooms were added in 1978-79. Studies of anticipated growth patterns indicated that additional space might continue to be necessary to meet the needs of a growing district.

In the 1987-88 school year, the district opened its eighth elementary building, Dardenne Elementary School, and a second high school, Fort Zumwalt South High School. Since then major additions have been made to both buildings.

During the 1990’s, the district continued with major construction projects, adding new facilities and building additions to keep up with the enrollment growth.

In 1993 Twin Chimneys Elementary opened, with the final addition completed in 1997.

In 1995 DuBray Middle School opened.

In 1996 Rock Creek Elementary opened.

In 1997 Mid Rivers Elementary opened.

In 1998 West High and Pheasant Point Elementary opened.

In 1999 Hope High opened its doors as an alternative classroom environment.

In 2001 West Middle School and Westhoff Elementary opened.

In 2002 Ostmann and Emge elementaries opened to alleviate overcrowding at Twin Chimneys and Dardenne.

In 2007 East High School opened for students in the eastern portion of St. Peters, making Fort Zumwalt the only district in St. Charles County with four comprehensive high schools.

District officials are committed to providing the very best education for all the students in the district and are pledged to meeting the demands of a growing student population.

The Mike Clemens Center for Adaptive Learning, dedicated to students with severe autism and behavioral disorders, opened in 2015.

Flint Hill Elementary opened for the 2016-2017 school year.

The Early Childhood Center opened for the 2017-2018 school year.

Fort Zumwalt School District R-II

Mission, Vision, History

The mission of the Fort Zumwalt School District

is to assure that its students,

regardless of ability or economic level,

are provided an education in such a positive and safe learning environment

that all reach their potential.

A strong commitment is made to promote the virtues

of democracy, citizenship,

self-discipline, the work ethic,

and the need to respect all members of society.

Positive Peer Influence

Facts at a Glance

History