Established in 1877 
The Webb City School District was established in 1877 to serve the students of Webb City. Prior to the establishment of the Webb City Reorganized School District in 1968, area youth who lived outside the Webb City School District was educated in numerous one-room rural school districts and in high school districts in incorporated communities nearby. Over the years, consolidation and reorganization plans were initiated with the goal of providing better quality educational programs in a more efficient manner. In September 1968, the final reorganization took place when the Carterville School District voted, as had Alba in 1967, to become part of the Jasper County Reorganized School District R-VII, to be known and referred to as the Webb City R-7 School District. 

Below is a listing of the individual school districts that once operated within what is now the Webb City R-7 School District: 

Pearl Hill Rural School consolidated with Oronogo School District 
Jackson Rural School consolidated with the Carterville School District 
Tower of Light Rural School consolidated with the Carterville School District 
Neck City School District consolidated with Alba School District 
Purcell School District consolidated with Alba School District 
Prairie Flower Rural School consolidated with Webb City School District 
Prosperity Rural School consolidated with Webb City School District 
Perseverance Rural School consolidated with Webb City School District 
Underwood Rural School consolidated with Webb City School District 
Oronogo School District reorganized with Webb City School District in 1964 
Alba School District reorganized with Webb City School District in 1967 
Carterville School District reorganized with Webb City School District