Francis Howell Central High School is the third high school created in the Francis Howell School District. The school is located in Cottleville, Missouri, but a large part of its student population comes from its larger neighbor St. Peters. Home of the Spartans, Francis Howell Central is a four-year comprehensive high school offering programs in college preparatory, vocational, honors/advanced credit, advanced placement and a special education program.Brief historyFHC opened in the fall of 1997 with only freshmen and sophomore students. The school had been built in a series of phases; much of what is visible today had not yet been constructed at the time of its opening. The school's first principal was Don Muench. The building opened with relatively few teachers, due to low student enrollment at the time. Eventually the school expanded to include junior and senior grades as well.In 2001, Steve Griggs was hired as the new building principal. Griggs remained principal until 2006, when he transferred to a new position in the district's administration. Jack Ameis, former administrator at Francis Howell North High School, served as the interim principal for the 2006-2007 school year. Starting with the 2007-2008 school year, Sonny Arnel returned to Central to serve as head principal. The school enrollment currently hovers around 2,000 students.The school's mascot is King Leo the Spartan.In 2013, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld a law that allowed students attending unaccredited school districts to transfer to other schools. A lawful decision was made that students from a neighboring predominately Black Normandy District would to attend the majority white Francis Howell School District.This led to Francis Howell district parents voicing concerns against the transfer of students even though they would pay out-of-district tuition. The town hall meeting went on for over two hours with almost 3,000 people in attendance. One parent at Francis Howell Central High School stated : “I deserve to not have to worry about my children getting stabbed, or taking a drug, or getting robbed" which was supported by many cheers. Many of these parents were later criticized by some as racist and classist. Other parents drew similarities between their current controversy and that of desegregation busing during the Civil Rights Movement.
