Potential health science high school update on Columbia BOE meeting agenda

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Board of Education will hold a work session Thursday morning to discuss lottery school updates and the potential addition of a "health science high school."

The work session will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, in the Aslin Administration building.

According to the meeting agenda, lottery schools are specialized schools that admit students through a random drawing. CPS lottery schools feature specialized instruction areas such as STEM, STEAM, multi-grade learning, health care, art and agriculture.

Ridgeway Elementary was the first CPS lottery school, introduced in 2012. CPS has since added Benton, Locust, Jefferson and Two Mile Prairie.

In Thursday's work session lottery school update, the board will discuss a potential health science high school that would collaborate with MU Health. Starting in ninth grade, students would work with MU Health, take classes in clinic settings, and focus on learning about health care experiences. Learning opportunities would also include an introduction to health care pathways, simulation labs, and hands-on learning, including internships in their junior and senior years.

The health science high school is in phase two of planning, with surveys and focus groups with eighth-grade students and parents.

The school could open as soon as the 2027-2028 school year.