5253 E Heller Rd
Columbia, MO 65202

I am an ex-student at this school and my experience was very depressing and disappointing. Although Hallsville High School has a few teachers who actually care about their students and a very kind and helpful secretary, the majority of the teachers only teach about grades and hold personal grudges against students who do not do well in their class. The teachers make it very easy to get a good grade in their class (I suspect the school is getting more money for better grades), and is borderline forcing every student to do every assignment. They have formed what they call the “ICU” list, which was supposedly designed to help students finish their work, but is used more as a punishment for unfinished work. I remember I wasn’t allowed on a field trip because I had one assignment on ICU. Students on the ICU list that day were to stay inside the school building and finish all assignments they hadn’t turned in. I then was shamed by teachers for skipping school that day with my parents’ permission. My assignment wasn’t completed because I was home sick. The teacher of that assignment argued that I could still do it if I was sick. I could make many points about the ICU list and my experience with it, but I choose to use my remaining characters to speak about the other issues I experienced in the school. Many teachers refuse to let students use the bathroom, and I have been told that one teacher gave two bathroom passes to the students, but if the students didn’t use them, they could turn them in at the end of the year for extra credit. Many teachers did not help me understand their material, but instead weirdly gas-lit me by saying I would understand if I was paying attention. A former principal had a personal issue with a student and kept him in ISS all day every day until he completed his missing assignments, which he couldn’t complete due to not being in class. The principal was asked back the next year. One teacher argued to me that “if you took a while to turn in your assignment, I can take a while to take them off the ICU list.” This meant that I would have to spend my whole 8th hour in a room called the “ICU” room until the assignment was taken off of the list even though I turned it in. The school pours their money into football and other boy’s sports, leaving no money left for band, choir, or art. A band teacher created multiple fundraisers for us to have a marimba for band. There was no school funding for it. Not a good school if you’re not a sports boy

The school has lost my respect. They have lost their minds

Excellent staff with great pre-k program. The teachers are very nice and do wonderful with the kids.