Moving to Clever, MO: What to Know Before You Buy

You are about 35 minutes from Springfield

Downtown Springfield is about 20 miles away and roughly 35 minutes without traffic, based on a routing estimate. The most direct route runs north on Route P to Republic, then east on Sunshine Street (MO-413) into Springfield. Route 14 also takes you east through Nixa. Drive your commute at the time you would actually leave before you buy.

If you are comparing towns, I also wrote up Nixa, Republic and Ozark, and my Areas We Serve page lines up every town we cover side by side.

The Clever R-V school district

Clever R-V reports more than 1,200 students from preschool through 12th grade in four schools: a PK-2 school, a 3-5 school, a middle school and a high school. As of November 2026, Niche gives the district an overall B and ranks it #100 of 453 districts in Missouri, with a 13 to 1 student-teacher ratio.

Voters approved a $16 million bond in April 2024 that extended the existing tax levy instead of raising it. According to KY3, it paid for secured entrances at every school, covered walkways, classroom additions at the high school, and a new middle school wing with science labs, a band and chorus room and a weight room. The superintendent told KY3 the district’s next major project is a new early childhood center.

In April 2026, voters also approved moving 40 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from the district’s debt service levy to its operating levy. The ballot language estimated the district’s overall levy would stay the same.

Always verify the attendance area for the exact address with the district before you make an offer. A school nearby may not be the one your address is assigned to.

What homes cost in Clever

The median sale price in the Clever ZIP code (65631) was $257,450 in October 2026, but that is based on only 7 sales. Over the past year the monthly median ranged from about $239,000 to $450,000, and 109 homes sold in the 12 months ending October 2026. The ZIP code reaches past city limits, so those numbers include homes outside town too.

See current homes for sale in Clever, or use our mortgage calculator to see what a payment looks like.

The growth is showing up in the schools and the sewer plant

Clever grew from 1,010 people in 2000 to 2,918 at the 2020 Census, and the Census estimates 3,143 in 2025. The school district’s 2024 bond added classrooms to make room for a growing student body, according to KY3.

The City of Clever is also expanding its wastewater treatment plant. The state construction permit raises the plant’s average daily capacity from 210,000 gallons to 460,000 gallons, sized for a population equivalent of about 5,296 people by 2041. When the permit was issued in 2024, the plant served a population equivalent of roughly 3,000.

Parks and things to do

History runs deep here. The Battle of Dug Springs was fought near Clever in 1861 as a precursor to the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is about 8 miles north of town, roughly 16 minutes by car.

In town, the Clever Community Branch of the Christian County Library is on Veterans Boulevard and is open six days a week. Each summer the Clever Freedom Celebration brings food, vendors, a kids’ zone and fireworks. The 2026 celebration was June 27.