The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, tracing its beginnings to 1840, is the oldest district in St. Louis County. The District covers an approximate area of two square miles and is located southwest of, and adjacent to, the City of St. Louis. Neighboring school districts include Brentwood, Clayton, and Webster Groves.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, pursuant to a comprehensive evaluation, classifies each school district according to the quality of educational services provided and the adequacy of the facilities. The State Department rates the MRH School District AAA, and in addition, the Senior High School is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.




1840 - The first school opened on Manchester Road near McCausland. It was named the "Washington Institute."

1876 - The city of St. Louis separated from the county, making it necessary to establish a new school district outside the limits of the city of St. Louis.

1906 - An election changed the rural school district with three directors to a village school district with six directors. This change was filed with the County Court on July 11, 1906.

1906 - In November 1906, two new schools were opened. Miss Clara Wilder was named the first superintendent of schools.

1909 - The Maplewood School District became one of the first districts in St. Louis County to offer a High School program.

1935 - Bus service began providing transportation of pupils to the high school. The first route concentrated on students from Richmond Heights.

1951 - The name of the district was changed from the School District of Maplewood to the School District of Maplewood Richmond Heights.

1978 - The district faced financial troubles and the Board voted to eliminate 21 teaching positions and to close the Junior High Building. The district put a tax levy increase on the ballot to end a four-year period of deficit spending.

1986 - Budget problems again plagued the district. Forty-seven teachers were laid off, a tax rate increase was placed on the June 3 ballot, and a list of budget cuts was considered. The list of budget cuts included reducing the number of custodians, librarians, and purchases.

1996 - The district was classified as 'financially stressed' by the State of Missouri when the district budget was exceeded by over a million dollars.

1999 - MRH had its first review by the Missouri School Improvement Program, receiving full accreditation by state standards. The district reported steady financial operations with a healthy reserve balance.

2000 - MRH hosted Reunion 2000 when over 2,000 alumni returned for Homecoming weekend. Alumni represented classes from every decade dating back to the oldest alumni from the class of 1932.

2001 - The district passed a $12 million bond issue to fund construction of a new elementary school, renovation of a middle school center within the high school, and installation of air-conditioning at the Early Childhood Center. MRH was also successful in passing a 52-cent tax levy increase to the operating budget to continue increases in staff salaries, technology budgets, and curriculum and professional development activities.

2002 - Missouri Governor Bob Holden released state test scores from MRH Middle School. He chose MRH because the school showed significant improvement in achievement.

2002 - First Lady Laura Bush hosted a "Community and Character" national program in partnership with US Department of Education and Court TV at MRH High School. MRH was chosen for the visit because of its national reputation as a leader in character education.

2002 - MRH opened the Student Success Center, an alternative school setting for secondary students who require individualized instruction and attention on a daily basis.

2004 - MRH dedicated the new MRH Elementary School at 1800 Princeton Place, Richmond Heights. The new school was built with funds from the 2001 bond issue and holds grades 2 through 6.

2004 - MRH School District received the "Distinction in Performance" award from Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. D. Kent King for receiving a perfect score of 100 points on the Annual Performance Report.

2004 - Voters approved an $8.6 million bond issue to fund renovations at MRH High School and the Early Childhood Center.

2005 - Renovations began at the high school and the Early Childhood Center. All classrooms, science labs, the gymnasium and a new library/media center are part of the high school renovation. Many of the renovated spaces will be jointly used by high school and middle school students when complete.

2006 - The state of Missouri presented MRH with the "Excellence in Staff Development" award. MRH was one of only four districts in the state to receive the award, which was given by Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. D. Kent King and supported by the Missouri Staff Development Council.

2006 - MRH Middle School was awarded an eMints grant from the state of Missouri for over $100,000. The grant will provide each middle school student a laptop and provide for special technology training for MRH Middle faculty members.

2006 - A committee of MRH teachers, administrators, Board of Education members and community members began studying "Project Headware," which would additionally provide a laptop to each high school student beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. To support the program, the district placed an even greater focus on professional development that focuses on embedding technology into teaching.

2006 - The district entered into cooperation with ARCHs, a philanthropic organization dedicated to early childhood education. ARCHs agreed to provide $100,000 to refurbish the art room at the Early Childhood Center in addition to several thousand dollars to be used for professional development. The project is focused on developing a program similar to the world famous early childhood programs in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Webster University is also a partner in the project, providing classes and consultation to help understand the pedagogy of Reggio.