Report: Ozark is 'destination district' for young families, one of fastest growing in area

Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader
·4 min read
A new storm shelter at Ozark Middle School will add classroom space. A demographic report shows the number of students will grow in the next five years.
A new storm shelter at Ozark Middle School will add classroom space. A demographic report shows the number of students will grow in the next five years.

Ozark is one of the fastest growing school districts in southwest Missouri — behind Nixa and Republic — and added 224 students in the past five years, despite the pandemic.

A demographic report presented Thursday showed the district is projected to keep growing but the pace will be set by economic conditions including interest rates and inflation.

"It's not a matter of if you're going to hit 6,000 kids, it is just a matter of when, it is the timing," said Bob Templeton, vice president of Zonda Education.

In the coming months, the Christian County school district will use the report to help revise its long-range plan. A series of public meetings are scheduled to discuss next steps.

The first meeting is 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 in the cafeteria of the Ozark Innovation Center.

Curtis Chesick, assistant superintendent of operations, said the report sheds light on where the district stands and what may be coming.

Curtis Chesick
Curtis Chesick

"The economy, obviously, is playing a role on our movement at this time," Chesick said. "As you drive around, you can see a lot of multi-family housing coming up and we just want to know where we're at."

According to the report, there are an estimated 1,750 future residential lots in various stages of planning within the boundaries of the Ozark school district.

The report showed 330 lots are available and 95 homes are under construction.

Participating virtually, Templeton presented two enrollment projection models, one fast and one slow, based on the community adding new homes and apartments.

He said if Ozark gains 50 to 75 dwellings a year, student enrollment will grow by 93 students in the next five years to hit 6,049.

However, if the number of dwellings averages 100 to 150 a year, enrollment may grow by a total of 363 students in the next five years to reach 6,317.

The Ozark Middle School will soon open a storm shelter that provides additional classroom space.
The Ozark Middle School will soon open a storm shelter that provides additional classroom space.

Templeton said the growth models show the middle school and junior high are expected to be the first to run out of space.

However, the district planned ahead, Chesick said. A bond issue approved in April 2022 will add classrooms as part of a storm shelter at the middle school.

He said the new space will be ready early next year and the report was based on existing space.

More: Is Ozark High's IB program on the chopping block? Officials look at cost, low enrollment

Templeton said a look at the ages of the 35,971 residents in the Ozark district showed they skewed younger than the remaining balance of Christian County.

He drew this conclusion: "You are a destination district for younger families."

Home sales slowing, prices going up

As part of the report, Templeton explained that demographic and economic trends present in Ozark mirror what has happened in many other communities.

The Ozark school board received the preliminary demographic report during the Oct. 19 meeting.
The Ozark school board received the preliminary demographic report during the Oct. 19 meeting.

"This has been a challenging last 2-1/2 to three years due to the pandemic," he said.

For example, the unemployment rate soared into the double digits early in the pandemic shutdown but then dropped sharply, making it tougher for schools and other employers to fill open positions.

Home sales also shot up during 2020 and 2021 but have dropped in the years since.

There were 1,160 homes sold in Ozark in 2021. The next year, it was 892, a drop of 23%. This year, an estimated 450 homes have been sold so far.

At the same time, Ozark home prices have increased dramatically. In the past five years, the average price grew 43% for an existing home and 47% for a new home.

More: At town hall, Ozark school board answers questions in effort to connect with parents

In 2022, the average sale price in the Ozark school district was $283,094 for an existing home and $353,423 for a new home.

The report showed enrollment this year was flat and the number of students in kindergarten declined the past two years.

Templeton said many of public schools he has studied recently have experienced a "softening" in kindergarten and first grade.

Templeton said the trend has been driven by an "expansion of choice" and a significant uptick in families choosing to teach their chidden at home. He said the number of homeschool students has tripled in some parts of the U.S. as parents access more online learning options and seek greater flexibility.

"This is a trend that we're seeing with all of our clients so this was not something that is specific to the Ozark school district," he said.

Want to go?

The Ozark school district will meet to discuss its long-range plan. The meetings are open to the public and include:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 14 − 6:30-8 p.m. in the cafeteria at the Ozark Innovation Center. The demographic report presented by author Bob Templeton.

  • Tuesday, Dec. 12 − 6:30-8 p.m. at Ozark West Elementary.

  • If needed, a meeting will also be held Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the middle school.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Demographic report: Ozark is 'destination district' for young families