Jr./Sr. High Principal

Dear Ridgedale Rocket Families,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year at Ridgedale Junior High/High School! I am incredibly excited about the opportunities ahead for our students and proud of the continued growth taking place throughout our school.

At Ridgedale, our focus extends beyond helping students earn a diploma. We want every Rocket to leave us with a clear path forward and the skills, experiences, and connections necessary to be successful in life after graduation.

One of the areas where we continue to see tremendous growth is Career and Technical Education. Our students now have access to multiple CTE pathways right here on our campus, providing hands-on learning and opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials while preparing for careers in high-demand fields.

Even more exciting, we are beginning to see these pathways translate directly into job opportunities for our students. Through relationships with area employers, Ridgedale students are moving from our classrooms and career-tech programs into the workforce, gaining valuable experience and beginning meaningful careers. These job placements represent exactly what we want our CTE programs to accomplish—connecting what students learn in school with real opportunities after graduation.

We are also continuing to aggressively build partnerships with local, regional, and national businesses. We want our business partners to be more than visitors to our school; we want them to be active participants in developing the next generation of their workforce. Through these partnerships, we are working to secure equipment, training, financial support, industry expertise, internships, job-shadowing experiences, and employment opportunities for our students.

Our goal is simple: identify the careers that are in demand and provide our students with the education, credentials, equipment, training, and connections necessary to compete for those high-paying jobs. By working directly with employers, we can better understand their workforce needs and ensure that what we teach our students aligns with the skills employers are looking for.

At the same time, college remains an important part of our commitment to life after graduation. Through College Credit Plus and our partnership with Modern States as a CLEP testing center, students have opportunities to earn college credit while still in high school—helping families reduce the future cost of a college education.

What makes all of this possible is what has always made Ridgedale special: our size, our relationships, and our community. Being small is our superpower. It allows us to know our students personally, understand their goals, and create opportunities around what they want their futures to look like.

We are a small school doing big things, and we are committed to ensuring that every Rocket leaves Ridgedale prepared not simply to graduate, but to take the next step toward a successful future.

I am excited to see what our students accomplish this year and grateful for the continued support of our families, businesses, and community.

Go Rockets!

Jacob Neutzling
Principal
Ridgedale Junior High/High School