The Central Ozarks Conference is a high school athletic conference represented by 14 schools in the southwest portion of Missouri. All schools are in the Ozarks state region. The Central Ozark Conference offers championships for girls in Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling. The Central Ozark Conference offers championships for boys Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, and Wrestling.
| Conference | Missouri State High School Activities Association |
|---|---|
| Sports fielded |
|
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Region | Southwest Missouri |
List of member schools
editWith the addition of the four former Ozark Conference schools for the 2024–25 school year, the conference is now split into two, seven-team divisions.
| School | Team Name | Colors | Town | County | Enrollment (2023–24) | Primary MSHSAA Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | (Lady) Bulldogs | Springfield | Greene | 1075 | 5 | |
| Glendale High School | (Lady) Falcons | Springfield | Greene | 1098 | 5 | |
| Kickapoo High School | (Lady) Chiefs | Springfield | Greene | 1507 | 6 | |
| Lebanon High School | (Lady) Yellowjackets | Lebanon | Laclede | 1136 | 6 | |
| Nixa High School | (Lady) Eagles | Nixa | Christian | 1478 | 6 | |
| Ozark High School | (Lady) Tigers | Ozark | Christian | 1369 | 6 | |
| Waynesville High School | (Lady) Tigers | Waynesville | Pulaski | 1319 | 6 |
| School | Team Name | Colors | Town | County | Enrollment (2023–24) | Primary MSHSAA Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage High School | (Lady) Tigers | Carthage | Jasper | 1232 | 6 | |
| Joplin High School | (Lady) Eagles | Joplin | Jasper | 1664 | 6 | |
| Parkview High School | (Lady) Vikings | Springfield | Greene | 1026 | 5 | |
| Neosho High School | (Lady) Wildcats | Neosho | Newton | 1157 | 6 | |
| Republic High School | (Lady) Tigers | Republic | Greene | 1148 | 6 | |
| Webb City High School | (Lady) Cardinals | Webb City | Jasper | 1011 | 5 | |
| Willard High School | (Lady) Tigers | Willard | Greene | 1061 | 5 |
Membership history
editCarl Junction joined the Central Ozark Conference in July 2016 after three decades in the Big 8 Conference (Missouri).[citation needed]
Joplin High School joined the Central Ozarks Conference in July 2018.[1] Joplin moved from the Ozark Conference.
The Central Ozark Conference Small division disbanded after the 2017-18 school year. The remaining schools, except Bolivar High School, will join the Big 8 Conference (Missouri).[2] Bolivar applied to join the Ozark Conference in late December, but was rejected. They went independent for three seasons and were admitted into the Ozark Conference in July 2021 on a second attempt to join, replacing Central High School(Springfield), who went independent.[3][4]
On October 11, 2023, Carl Junction and Branson announced they would be joining the new Ozark Mountain Conference for the 2024-25 school year.[citation needed]
Shortly after, the conference elected to send invitations to Kickapoo and Glendale which they accepted and are to start playing in the conference in the 2024-25 school year.[citation needed]
Because of the accepted invitations from Kickapoo and Glendale along with Hillcrest, West Plains, and Bolivar leaving for the new Ozark Mountain conference, the conference sent invitations to the remaining Ozark Conference schools, of which Central, Lebanon, Parkview, and Waynesville accepted as full members.[citation needed]