St. Paul Lutheran High School has purchased 26 acres on Hunt Road just north of Farmington, Missouri, marking the first phase of a long-awaited plan to build a permanent campus. The school, which currently leases classroom space at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, says the land buy sets up future academic facilities and a shared sports complex meant to serve both its grade school and high school.
According to the Park Hills Daily Journal, Principal Andy Sherrill said the purchase gives the school a permanent home for its academic and athletic facilities. The Daily Journal reports that site work is expected to begin in fall 2026, with construction scheduled to start in spring 2027. Pastor David Schmitt, who serves as pastoral adviser to the school and leads St. Paul Lutheran Church, expressed gratitude for the purchase and for the donors who made it possible, per the same report.
A School Still Looking for Solid Ground
St. Paul Lutheran High School has been on the move for most of its existence. The school launched in 2012 with nine students and six faculty members meeting in a four-room house known as the White House, located next to St. Paul Lutheran Church on East Columbia Street, the Daily Journal's reporting shows. By 2014, that original space could no longer accommodate the school's 24 students, so the school purchased a 14,000-square-foot facility in Showplace Plaza and reconfigured it into administrative offices, classrooms, common areas and a practice gym.
The school moved into that expanded Showplace Plaza location in October 2014, and in the years since has enrolled more than 272 students and graduated 120, according to the Daily Journal's account. School leaders had already identified more than 20 acres across U.S. Highway 67 as a future campus site back in 2014, with plans at the time calling for athletic fields. The newly purchased 26-acre Hunt Road parcel represents the next step in that long-running effort, which the Daily Journal describes as the first phase of the school's campus development plan.
Latest Move Came Before the Land Deal
Before this land purchase, the school's most recent address change came in 2025, when it left Showplace Plaza for leased space in Mineral Area College's North Campus Center. Sherrill announced in the school's annual State of the School address at the end of July 2025 that students would begin attending classes at the North Campus Center starting Aug. 20, 2025, according to the Daily Journal. At the time, KFMO reported that the school was not changing its long-term goal of building a new high school and athletic facilities of its own.
The arrangement appears to be working well so far. KFMO reported in late September 2025 that educator Sarah Folk described the transition to the college campus as smooth and positive. The Daily Journal's later coverage said the school was at the North Campus Center in the 2026-27 school year, as the college partnership continued while the Hunt Road property moves toward development.
What the Future Campus Could Include
The Daily Journal's reporting on the land purchase notes that the campus development plan may include a stadium, an eight-lane track and an indoor practice facility, though specifics on scope, cost and timing beyond the fall 2026 site-work start have not been detailed publicly. School leaders say they plan to share opportunities for community members and supporters to take part in the next phase of development, and the school has invited supporters to follow its progress as the new campus takes shape.
St. Paul Lutheran High School describes itself as the oldest Christian high school in St. Francois County, and its leaders say the expansion is meant to meet growing demand for Christian education while shaping future leaders, builders and thinkers. The school's own Our Story page says it offers dual-credit and dual-enrollment opportunities through Mineral Area College and other institutions, with 28 students earning a combined 229 college credit hours last year through that program.
Small School, Big Scholarship Numbers
St. Paul serves students in grades 9 through 12, according to the school's frequently asked questions page, which also lists athletics including cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track. The school's current About Us page puts total enrollment at 55 with a 6:1 student-teacher ratio, while a profile from the Missouri District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod listed enrollment at 64.
Despite its small size, the school has posted notable financial-aid numbers. The Daily Journal reported that the 2025 graduating class earned approximately $850,000 in merit-based scholarships, and that about 85% of students receive some form of financial assistance. With the Hunt Road land now secured, school leaders are framing the purchase as the foundation for a permanent campus that has been more than a decade in the making.
