Central Ozark Conference
| Conference | Missouri State High School Activities Association |
|---|---|
| Sports fielded |
|
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Region | Southwest Missouri |
The Central Ozarks Conference is a high school athletic conference represented by 10 schools in the southwest portion of Missouri. All schools are in the Ozarks region of the state. 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.
List of member schools[edit]
| School | Team Name | Colors | Town | County | Enrollment (2020–21) | Primary MSHSAA Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branson High School | (Lady) Pirates | Branson | Taney | 1430 | 5 | |
| Carl Junction High School | (Lady) Bulldogs | Carl Junction | Jasper | 963 | 4 | |
| Carthage High School | (Lady) Tigers | Carthage | Jasper | 1467 | 5 | |
| Joplin High School | (Lady) Eagles | Joplin | Jasper | 2189 | 6 | |
| Neosho High School | (Lady) Wildcats | Neosho | Newton | 1304 | 5 | |
| Nixa High School | (Lady) Eagles | Nixa | Christian | 1711 | 6 | |
| Ozark High School | (Lady) Tigers | Ozark | Christian | 1301 | 6 | |
| Republic High School | (Lady) Tigers | Republic | Greene | 1401 | 5 | |
| Webb City High School | (Lady) Cardinals | Webb City | Jasper | 1242 | 5 | |
| Willard High School | (Lady) Tigers | Willard | Greene | 1350 | 5 |
Membership History[edit]
Carl Junction joined the Central Ozark Conference in July 2016 after three decades in the Big 8 Conference (Missouri).
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, with the exception of Bolivar High School, will join the Big 8 Conference (Missouri).[2] Bolivar submitted an application to join the Ozark Conference in late December, but was rejected. They went independent for three seasons and was then 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.
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.
Because of the accepted invitations from Kickapoo and Glendale and Hillcrest, West Plains, and Bolivar leaving for the new Ozark Mountain conference, the conference sent invitations to the remaining Ozark Conference schools, of which Lebanon and Waynesville accepted as full members