David Henry Hickman High School (commonly Hickman or HHS) is a public secondary school in Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. Built in 1927, it is the oldest of four high schools in the Columbia Public Schools, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Hickman is also one of the largest high schools in Missouri and has perennially strong academic, athletic, and arts programs.
There are a number of notable alumni from Hickman including a Missouri Governor, several U.S. and State members of congress, Frederick Chapman Robbins (who won the 1954 Nobel Prize for medicine), Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, and Kenneth Lay (founder and former CEO of the now-bankrupt Enron Corporation). Hickman is a two-time Blue Ribbon School and a Missouri Gold Star School.
In 2022, Hickman had nineteen National Merit Finalists, the most of any school in Missouri. Hickman has more than double the number of Presidential Scholars than any other public or private high school in Missouri.
Hickman was constructed in 1927 on the country estate of Missouri legislator and educator David Henry Hickman, next to what was then U.S. Route 40. The school was built to replace the earlier Columbia High School and carried over many of its traditions including the mascot and yearbook. Today, the school is accredited with distinction by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as well as the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Hickman's mascot is the Kewpie.
History Public secondary education began in Columbia during the 1880s with the founding of Columbia High School in 1889 at the intersection of Eighth Street and Rogers.
As many high schools were at this point in history, CHS offered a two-year course of study. In 1895, it was increased to three, and again in 1896 to four. Extracurricular activities in 1898 included a literary society, choral union, orchestra, and debate team. Sports teams were present, but were not yet funded by the district. Overcrowding caused the demolition of the old school and the construction of a new three-story structure at the same site. The new building included the district's first gymnasium, and the first athletics and music teacher were hired.
1912 saw the first edition of the school yearbook, the Cresset. The school mascot, the Kewpie, appeared for the first time in the Cresset associated with the basketball team "...whose loyalty to the school and to the Kewpie motto, ‘Keep Smiling,’ has won the State Championship". During World War I, students were excused to work as part of the war effort, and the German Club was removed from the extracurricular offerings.
In the 1920s, Columbia was experiencing continued growth, and the district decided to build a new high school on the edge of town on the newly built U.S. Route 40. David Henry Hickman donated part of his estate which had formerly held grandstands and a track for horse racing. David H. Hickman High School opened in 1927, and the old high school became Jefferson Junior High School, which later became Jefferson Middle School. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused the school district to operate with a deficit for the first time; however, the high school building was expanded using loans and the Works Progress Administration.
In this decade, the school's wrestlers captured three state championships, and Hickman created a marching band. The 1940s and World War II brought a new level of international awareness to Hickman, and classes in international relations, aeronautics, and home nursing were added. In 1944, the operetta "Tune In" was performed, and there have been yearly musical productions since. In 1948, the tradition of requiring sophomores to wear beanies was restored.
The 1950s saw the end of racial segregation in Columbia, and Hickman was integrated with Fredrick Douglas High School. The influx of students saw a building boom, and class rooms for special education, adult classes, vocational work, and laboratories were built. A new gymnasium was built in 1955 and a swimming pool added in 1968.
In 1961, the tradition of sophomore beanies was ended. David Wheeler became Hickman's first presidential scholar in 1964, the first year of the program. Hickman saw four state championships in three sports in the 1960s. Rock Bridge High School was opened in 1973 as the second high school in Columbia, and competitive women's sports were offered for the first time 1970s. The 1980s saw much national recognition; Hickman was given the Blue Ribbon Award for 1984–85.
Hickman filled Missouri's quota of Presidential Scholars in 1988. In 1994–95, Hickman was once again given the Blue Ribbon Award, and four additional Presidential Scholars were named in the decade; Hickman now had a total of 12 Presidential Scholars, more than any public school in Missouri. 1994 was also the year that Hickman beat Rock Bridge 43-42 in triple overtime in what some called the Game of the Century as crosstown rivals met for only the second time in history, and their first football matchup since 1981. Nearly 10,000 spectators witnessed the 10/21/94 event despite an official capacity of about 2,500. Computer labs were created in the late 1980s, and the Columbia Aeronautics Space Association (CASA), a realistic space simulation program, was founded. In the 1990s, Hickman won state championships in baseball, women's swimming, men's track, men's cross country, and men's tennis.
2001 saw a presidential scholar each of the first four years and the development of a master plan for Hickman's campus. A bond-issue was passed, and the renovations repairing the oldest parts of the school occurred. A large commons space, a main office, and language labs were added in 2003. In 2005, the oldest part of the building including the auditorium was restored, and the remainder of the school air-conditioned. State championships in football, baseball, and track were won in 2005.
1987 Presidential visit On March 26, 1987, President Ronald Reagan made a special trip to Columbia, Missouri to speak at the National Governors' Association-Department of Education Conference as well as Fairview Elementary and David H. Hickman High School. Hickman had received the Department of Education's Secondary School Recognition Award, and with six students having been named Presidential Scholars since 1964, Hickman ranked in the top five percent of the nation's schools. In his address to the assembled students and faculty at Hickman, President Reagan praised the school's academic quality, saying, in part, "If America is to be what it should be in the 21st century, then it's going to need a lot of schools, good schools. And Hickman, I'm pleased and proud to tell you, is one of the best." During the presentation, President Reagan was made an honorary Kewpie and given a school sweatshirt as a gift.
Academics Hickman is known for excellent academic programs. The school has had more Presidential Scholars named than any other public high school in the State of Missouri. A 2006 article in Newsweek, "What makes a high school great", listed Hickman within the top 5% of high schools in the nation.
In 2007, the school won the Siemens Foundation and College Board Award for Advanced Placement, meaning that Hickman leads the nation in AP participation and performance. Its literary journal, the Hickman Review, has received several prestigious national awards. Hickman was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School for 1984–85 and 1994–95.
Campus
Hickman High School was built on U.S. Route 40 on the country estate of David H. Hickman in 1927. The school has since expanded dramatically in size from its original two-story structure.
Today, the campus is bordered by Interstate 70 Business Loop, Seventh Street, Wilkes Boulevard, and Providence Road. A major addition in 1956 doubled the size of the school adding classrooms, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool. The 1970s saw the construction of a Fine Arts Building and a continuation of classroom additions.
In 2003, a commons area, office space, and language labs were added, and in 2005, the remainder of the school was air-conditioned and remodeled to match the original architecture.
The Hickman Campus is host to several events throughout the year including the Missouri All-State Band Auditions.
Extracurricular activities Fine arts The Hickman High School Marching Band is one element of a comprehensive band program. The marching band begins practicing in July with summer music rehearsals and concludes its season with the end of the football season. The marching band comprises more than 200 students enrolled in band classes at Hickman High School as well as several Hickman students that are members of the color guard. As the marching band "activity" continues to evolve, the Hickman band remains active as it consistently participates in performances at home football games, local parades, and region-wide marching festivals. Throughout its recent history of participation in marching band festivals, the band has been a consistent finalist and has been awarded outstanding caption recognition in all captions, including Outstanding Musical Performance, Outstanding Visual Performance, Outstanding Percussion, Outstanding Color Guard, Outstanding Drum Majors, and Outstanding Soloist. Most recently, the band placed 2nd overall at the Fort Zumwalt North River City Marching Festival. The Hickman Marching Band has traveled to Florida and most recently to Honolulu, Hawaii (June, 2005) as they presented performances in the King Kamehameha Parade and a special performance at the Memorial. The band repeated this trip in June 2008 and in June 2011.
The Hickman High School Concert Band Program currently consists of Wind Ensemble (1st hour, A Day), Symphonic Winds (4th Hour, B Day), Symphonic Winds (3rd Hour, B Day), and Concert Band (3rd hour, A Day). Each year, the Wind Ensemble (membership by individual audition) and the Concert Bands present many performances for the community including home concerts and special events; in addition, the combined bands participate in the State Large Ensemble Festival and consistently receive Superior ratings. The Hickman High School Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform for the Missouri Music Educators Association four times(2001, 2005, 2022, and 2025).
The Hickman High School Jazz Program is an extracurricular activity available to student enrolled in Hickman band classes. The jazz program comprises one "big band" of standard jazz instrumentation as well as 2 jazz “labs” consisting of any instrument. The jazz bands begin morning rehearsals at the conclusion of the marching band season and continue throughout the school year. Both jazz bands present 2 concerts per year, as well as participating in 3–4 jazz festivals per year.
The Hickman High School string orchestra is composed of the finest string players in the school and meets 1st hour. The band and string programs complement each other, combining into a full orchestra for major works such as Carmina Burana, Verdi's Requiem, and tribute concerts for composers such as Leonard Bernstein. In 2007, the orchestra traveled to San Antonio, Texas to perform at the Heritage Music Festival. They received 3 first-place awards.