Best Public Schools in Kansas City, MO

The city of Kansas City, Missouri is home to 155 schools, including 98 elementary schools, 28 middle schools, 25 high schools, and 4 alternative schools. These schools serve students across a diverse range of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, with some standout performers as well as schools facing significant challenges.

Among the highest-performing schools in the area are Park Hill High and Lincoln College Prep, which rank 12th and 49th respectively out of 352 Missouri high schools. These schools have strong student-teacher ratios, with Park Hill High at 17.6 and Lincoln College Prep at 15.8. In contrast, some of the lowest-performing schools, such as Northeast High and East High School, have very high free and reduced lunch rates of over 99%, indicating high levels of poverty in the student population.

The data also reveals significant disparities within school districts, with some schools vastly outperforming others in the same district. For example, North Kansas City 74 district has Staley High as its top-performing high school, ranked 45th in the state, while other district high schools lag behind. Similarly, the Kansas City 33 district includes both high-performing Lincoln College Prep and lower-performing schools. These disparities suggest that factors beyond just district-level policies and resources play a significant role in school outcomes.