Ladue is a very affluent inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in central St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 8,521.

Ladue has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with a population over 1,000, as well as one of the highest median incomes for any city in the United States. The city is a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Ladue is Missouri's best educated city, proportionately, with 74.5% of adult residents (25 and older) holding an associate degree or higher, and 71.8% of adults possessing a baccalaureate degree or higher (2000 Census).

There were 3,414 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $141,720, and the median income for a family was $179,328. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $51,678 for females. The per capita income for the city was $89,623. About 1.4% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

The home ownership rate (owner-occupied housing units to total units) is 91.6%.

Education

Ladue Public School District Ladue School District Enrollment - 3,930 Conway Elementary - 400 Old Bonhomme Elementary - 452 Reed Elementary - 464 Spoede Elementary - 471 Ladue Middle School - 901 Horton Watkins High School - 1,242

Student Attendance Days: 178 days Graduation Rate: 99% (Class of 2010) Graduates attending a 2- or 4-year college/university - 89.9% (Class of 2010)

Financial Issues Average Per Pupil Expenditure (based on 2009-10 average daily attendance not including debt service): $13,740.92 Students Eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch (2009–2010): 8.8% Teacher Salary Range: $38,500-$98,490 Average Teacher Salary: $62,115 Percentage of Total Budget for Salaries & Benefits: 79.6% Assessed Valuation: $1,482,073,350

Teachers & Classrooms Full-Time Classroom Teachers: 309 Teachers with 10 or More Years of Experience: 246 Teachers with Advanced Degrees: 263 Average Elementary Class Size (2010–11): 19.6:4 Students to Classroom Teachers: 12.4:1

ACT Test Scores (Class of 2010) % Tested Composite English Math Reading Science Ladue 86.6% 26.4 26.8 25.8 26.6 25.7 Missouri 71% 21.6 21.5 21.0 22.0 21.6 National 42% 21.0 20.5 21.0 21.3 20.9

SAT Test Scores (Class of 2010) Critical Mean Math Mean Writing Mean Ladue 642 626 629 Missouri 593 595 580 National 501 516 492

The Ladue School District comprises all or part of ten self-governed communities in St. Louis County, Missouri, and encompasses approximately with a population of more than 27,000 residents. The student body is a socio-economically diverse group. The Class of 2010 graduation rate was 99 percent with approximately 89.9 percent of the graduating seniors continuing on to college. The district is growing in student enrollment with a 22% increase (approximately 707 students) over the last seven years. According to projections, enrollment is expected to continue to increase for the next four years before reaching a plateau. The district had an operating budget of $54.1 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year, deriving 94 percent of its revenue from local sources.

National and Regional Recognitions Widely recognized as one of the premier public school districts in the nation.

For the past 20 years, approximately 10 percent of the members of each graduating class have been recognized by the National Merit Program as a finalist, semifinalist or commended student.

In its June 13, 2010 issue, ''Newsweek'' listed Horton Watkins High School as one of “America’s Best High Schools,” based on its outstanding Advanced Placement (AP) college prep program. The school was rated second among public schools in the state and 282 in the U.S.

The district has earned the prestigious “Distinction in Performance” Award from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) following the state’s annual performance review for the tenth time in the ten years the award has been given.

The district has five Blue Ribbon Schools (one school has been recognized twice) and three Gold Star Schools (one school has been recognized twice).

Ladue is home to two of St. Louis' private high schools, Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS) and the John Burroughs School.

The Headquarters Branch of the St. Louis County Library is located in Ladue on Lindbergh Boulevard.

Controversies

Ladue has a history of ousting families who violate housing ordinances. In 1985 the city won a case against a straight couple—E. Terrence Jones and Joan Kelly Horn--who lived together for four years and who each brought children from a previous relationship. Ladue officials had told them they should marry or leave their home. The Missouri court of appeals sided with the city, stating, "There is a governmental interest in marriage and in preserving the integrity of the biological or legal family." The ordinace stands as of 2009.

In 2010, Ladue ex-police chief Larry White filed suit against the city and its mayor, Irene Holmes, claiming that the mayor and her council wanted White to seek out and arrest any African-American and set ticket quotas for any out-of-towners who ventured into the city. White was also told to not arrest any Ladue resident, including anyone caught driving drunk (which were instructed to instead escort them home). White claims in the suit that when he was hired in 2007 Mayor Holmes pressured him on several occasions to get "those people" out of here. White would not comply as he did away with the ticket quota system his predecessor had in place and was fired in 2009. As of now, the suit still stands and is awaiting trial.

References

Category:Cities in Missouri Category:St. Louis County, Missouri