[3] From the 1930s through the 1970s, Roosevelt served a predominantly white, ethnically German population, and among its graduates was Clyde Cowan, the co-discoverer of the neutrino particle.

As a result of intradistrict busing in the 1980s and 1990s, Roosevelt served increasing numbers of black students, and it continues to be among the most integrated comprehensive schools in the district.

Despite a two-year renovation in the mid-1990s, Roosevelt has since suffered from academic and discipline issues, and its test scores and graduation rates remain below state averages.

[3] The building opened to its first students on January 26, 1925, and it was officially named to honor Theodore Roosevelt.

[7] In the 1930s and 1940s, the Roosevelt boys' swim team won five state titles, and during the 1950s, students had a choice of seven musical instrumental groups.

[8] At Roosevelt, the school's pom-pon squad greeted four buses of black students, who were accompanied by St. Louis Mayor James F.

[7] By the late 1990s, Roosevelt was the only comprehensive public high school in the city considered to be naturally integrated, with a population classified as 75% black, 17% white, 6% Asian, and 2% Hispanic.

[15] Missouri Governor John Ashcroft visited Roosevelt to announce the grant in January 1992, and he noted that 324 crimes had taken place at or within 1,000 feet of the school in the preceding year.

[19] In late 2003, a long-term substitute at the school was arrested and charged with child molestation after a 15-year-old student reported an incident of sexual assault.

[7] In addition, aging staff frequently required long-term substitutes that were difficult to obtain and often unqualified.

[7] Combined with relatively low attendance rates, classroom composition and consistency remained fluid throughout the period of the 1990s.

[28][30] Since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, Roosevelt has not met the requirements for adequate yearly progress in either communication arts or mathematics.