City: Taneyville, MO

Category: Education

Telephone: (417) 546-5803

Address: 302 Myrtle St.

Description: Taneyville, named after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger Brooke Taney (as was the county), is a small village 18 miles east of Branson on MO 76. This largely farming community has been justly proud of its small K–8 school. Graduates attend either Forsyth or Bradleyville high schools. Agriculture is the largest industry in the district, but many parents commute daily to jobs in Forsyth, Branson, or even Springfield. Like many communities in the eastern part of the county, Taneyville has not enjoyed the wealth of the Branson boom, but it has had to contend with some of the fallout problems. The district has experienced an average growth of 3.3 percent a year since 1991. More than 60 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. It has had a high mobility rate, with some students living in the district only a few months then moving, but enrollment stays constant because of new students moving in. In 2009 its enrollment was 230, with 30 teachers and a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. Its assessed valuation was just under $10 million, and the tax levy was $4.26. Teacher turnover rate is low, and parental involvement in school activities is good. About 90 percent of the parents attend parent-teacher conferences, with the other 10 percent contacted by phone. The area will continue to attract residents and grow since the cost of land and housing is considerably less than in Branson.