They’re St. Joseph’s top high school students.

They’re also the students who plan to attend college the farthest from home.

Thursday, the Lions Club hosted its annual luncheon for local high school seniors whose grades put them in the top 10 percent of their class. The luncheon, on the Missouri Western State University campus, honored students from St. Joseph Christian, Bishop LeBlond, Central, Benton and Lafayette high schools.

School counselors say that the majority of these students plan to attend college outside of the region yet still in Missouri.

Popular majors include those in medicine, science, business and engineering.

Lafayette High School counselor Terri Johnson said that this year, more of the top students are going away for college than usual.

These students have always been the ones who’ve had the financial aid to go away. They used to want to stick around more, though, she said.

“More of them are considering living on campus, so the kids are looking at going away and being able to get a college experience. And that’s a really different thing for us. We’re used to most of our kids staying here at Mo. West,” Ms. Johnson said. “They’re looking at moving on.”

Top Lafayette senior Lauren Hall is one of these students going away. She’ll major in chemistry and biological engineering at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

“It’s just time to leave. I’m just ready,” she said.

Michel Conn, also a top Lafayette senior, does plan to stay in town and attend Missouri Western, where he’ll major in either biology or engineering and live in the residence halls.

Missouri Western had what other colleges farther away had, he said, and he wanted to stay here.

“The transition will be easier since I’ll still be in St. Joe,” he said.

Ms. Johnson said that the students’ most popular college choices include University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Missouri in Columbia, Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville and Missouri Western.

Central’s top students most commonly go on to MU, counselor Chris Danford said. The second-most common college is probably UMKC, followed by Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri Western and Northwest.

Financial aid and majors drive their decisions, she said.

Bishop LeBlond principal Janet Wilcox said MU is the top students’ most popular destination.

St. Joseph Christian principal Danny Maggart said that their top two students (which make up the school’s top 10 percent) are heading to Villanova University in Pennsylvania and Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

Schools don’t track whether students return to St. Joseph following college.

Family tradition sometimes brings Benton High School graduates back, Benton counselor Nancy Nelson said.

“The South Side is very populated by kids whose families have lived here for generations,” she said.

Luncheon speaker Ron Auxier urged the students to return to St. Joseph after college.

Mr. Auxier, a local architect, grew up in St. Joseph.

Sure, cities such as San Francisco and Chicago are appealing, he said. But the networking that can occur while you’re at the grocery store or a restaurant in a city the size of St. Joseph is crucial and can’t be found in those larger cities, he said.

“This community offers you opportunities everywhere you turn,” Mr. Auxier said. “Remember that St. Joe has been good to you.”

Nancy Hull can be reached at nancyhull@npgco.com.