Buckner Elementary

Q: Is Buckner Elementary a good school?

Buckner Elementary ranks 552 nd of 906 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Buckner Elementary is a public elementary school located in Independence, Missouri, serving grades K-4 with a total enrollment of 334 students. The school is part of the Fort Osage R-I school district, which is ranked 266 out of 386 districts in Missouri and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buckner Elementary has shown mixed academic performance compared to the state and district averages. While the school's proficiency rates in Math and ELA for 3rd and 4th grades were generally lower than the state and district averages in the 2023-2024 school year, it performed better than the nearby Elm Grove Elementary in the same district. However, Buckner Elementary's academic performance is significantly lower than the highly-rated Lucy Franklin Elementary in the Blue Springs R-IV district. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be impacting its academic performance.

Buckner Elementary has performed well for its low socioeconomic status (SES) students, ranking 166 out of 625 Missouri elementary schools in this subgroup for the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school's performance for its white student subgroup has been relatively lower, ranking 521 out of 668 Missouri elementary schools in this subgroup for the same year. To address these challenges, the school should focus on improving attendance, targeting interventions for its underperforming subgroups, and aligning its curriculum and instruction with higher-performing nearby schools.

Detail:

Public K-4

25102 E. US 24 Highway
Independence, MO 64056-4001

(816) 650-7300

District: Fort Osage R-I

SchoolDigger Rank:
552^nd of 906 Missouri Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,712

Students who attend Buckner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fire Prairie Middle
	Osage Trail Middle
High:	Fort Osage High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.2

Number of students: 334

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.0%

Hispanic:

9.6%

African American:

3.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 44.6%

See top rated Missouri elementary schools

Compare Buckner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Buckner Elementary ranks worse than 60.9% of elementary schools in Missouri. It also ranks 2^nd among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Fort Osage R-I School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.69. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Buckner Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Fort Osage R-I School District. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details

Compare

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buckner Elementary is $13,712, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 elementary schools in the Fort Osage R-I School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Buckner Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Buckner Elementary 552^nd of 906 Missouri public elementary schools. (See Buckner Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

White students:

Fort Osage R-I:

SchoolDigger ranks Fort Osage R-I 266^th of 386 Missouri school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Buckner Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Buckner Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at Buckner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2006	52.25	524^th	1074	51.2%
2007	60.03	392^nd	1080	63.7%
2008	62.15	351^st	1084	67.6%
2009	62.83	354^th	1053	66.4%
2010	71.99	258^th	1066	75.8%
2011	76.71	188^th	1088	82.7%
2012	66.03	355^th	1085	67.3%
2013	62.43	401^st	1108	63.8%
2014	55.70	480^th	1089	55.9%
2015	74.07	236^th	1058	77.7%
2016	62.55	335^th	865	61.3%
2017	75.90	213^th	1032	79.4%
2018	64.16	361^st	1045	65.5%
2019	62.35	368^th	1052	65.0%
2021	58.05	373^rd	901	58.6%
2022	67.79	267^th	908	70.6%
2023	46.11	498^th	898	44.5%
2024	40.69	552^nd	906	39.1%

See the entire list of Missouri Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Buckner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	51.92	415^th	887	53.2%
2019	66.92	202^nd	907	77.7%
2021	54.14	210^th	574	63.4%
2023	58.41	198^th	611	67.6%
2024	62.48	166^th	625	73.4%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Buckner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	64.19	80^th	251	68.1%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for White students at Buckner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MO State Percentile
2018	52.05	418^th	898	53.5%
2019	52.10	406^th	917	55.7%
2021	43.38	388^th	691	43.8%
2022	50.57	327^th	675	51.6%
2023	36.53	435^th	673	35.4%
2024	25.99	521^st	668	22.0%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Buckner Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Buckner Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Buckner Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	546	546
1992	532	46	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	581
1993	539	2	5	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	552
1994	522	3	4	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	537
1995	506	1	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	512
1996	506	1	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	512
1997	487	1	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	492
1998	495	2	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	500
1999	490	1	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	493
2000	410	4	1	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	419
2001	404	5	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	413
2002	393	5	1	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	405
2003	393	5	1	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	405
2004	370	7	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	382
2005	374	3	1	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	382
2006	380	4	1	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	393
2007	336	6	3	53	2	n/a	n/a	0	400
2008	376	8	2	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
2009	335	5	0	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	350
2010	322	5	2	20	1	n/a	n/a	0	350
2011	346	3	1	20	2	1	1	0	374
2012	333	9	1	20	3	1	7	0	374
2013	340	9	0	13	4	2	7	0	375
2014	341	7	2	19	2	3	8	0	382
2015	350	4	7	20	6	1	7	0	395
2016	346	5	5	15	3	2	7	0	383
2017	324	2	5	13	2	2	8	0	356
2018	314	7	4	13	2	2	5	0	347
2019	304	12	0	8	2	1	4	0	331
2020	309	7	0	14	1	3	9	0	343
2021	275	7	0	17	1	2	3	0	305
2022	270	4	0	24	1	1	7	0	307
2023	284	12	0	32	1	0	5	0	334

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Buckner Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	546	29.5	18.5	15.9
1992	581	29.6	19.6	17.7
1993	552	29.7	18.6	20.1
1994	537	28.7	18.7	20.9
1995	512	31.8	16.1	28.5
1996	512	31.8	16.1	28.5
1997	492	31.2	15.8	23
1998	500	32.7	15.3	29
1999	493	34.2	14.4	30.8
2000	419	30.2	13.9	38.7
2001	413	31.1	13.3	38.3
2002	405	28.8	14.1	37
2003	405	28.8	14.1	37
2004	382	26.5	14.4	48.7
2005	382	30.8	12.4	44.8
2006	393	30.5	12.9	47.8
2007	400	29.5	13.6	43.8
2008	401	31.1	12.9	39.4
2009	350	28.5	12.3	38
2010	350	26.7	13.0	47.4
2011	374	25.7	14.5	52.4
2012	374	26.9	13.8	51.3
2013	375	26.5	14.1	50.1
2014	382	26.8	14.2	55.5
2015	395	29.0	13.6	52.4
2016	383	26.0	14.7	49.9
2017	356	26.6	13.3	45.8
2018	347	25.6	13.5	43.8
2019	331	26.5	12.4	40.2
2020	343	26.5	12.9	49.3
2021	305	28.9	10.5	44.6
2022	307	27.4	11.1	39.7
2023	334	27.3	12.2	44.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Buckner Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	546	29.5	18.5	15.9
1992	581	29.6	19.6	17.7
1993	552	29.7	18.6	20.1
1994	537	28.7	18.7	20.9
1995	512	31.8	16.1	28.5
1996	512	31.8	16.1	28.5
1997	492	31.2	15.8	23
1998	500	32.7	15.3	29
1999	493	34.2	14.4	30.8
2000	419	30.2	13.9	38.7
2001	413	31.1	13.3	38.3
2002	405	28.8	14.1	37
2003	405	28.8	14.1	37
2004	382	26.5	14.4	48.7
2005	382	30.8	12.4	44.8
2006	393	30.5	12.9	47.8
2007	400	29.5	13.6	43.8
2008	401	31.1	12.9	39.4
2009	350	28.5	12.3	38
2010	350	26.7	13.0	47.4
2011	374	25.7	14.5	52.4
2012	374	26.9	13.8	51.3
2013	375	26.5	14.1	50.1
2014	382	26.8	14.2	55.5
2015	395	29.0	13.6	52.4
2016	383	26.0	14.7	49.9
2017	356	26.6	13.3	45.8
2018	347	25.6	13.5	43.8
2019	331	26.5	12.4	40.2
2020	343	26.5	12.9	49.3
2021	305	28.9	10.5	44.6
2022	307	27.4	11.1	39.7
2023	334	27.3	12.2	44.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Buckner Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,089 (9.4%)	$10,441 (90.6%)	$11,529
2020	$1,227 (11.1%)	$9,864 (88.9%)	$11,091
2021	$1,016 (8.5%)	$10,952 (91.5%)	$11,969
2022	$1,478 (10.8%)	$12,234 (89.2%)	$13,712

Data source: Missouri Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Buckner Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 368^th of 1052 Elementary schools	Ranks 498^th of 898 Elementary schools	20.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Buckner Elementary)	46.6	23.8	22.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Fort Osage R-I)	47.8	25.6	22.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	46	41.1	4.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Buckner Elementary)	49.3	32.5	16.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Fort Osage R-I)	43.8	32.9	10.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	48.7	42.4	6.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Buckner Elementary)	60.7	53.1	7.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Fort Osage R-I)	47.7	45.3	2.4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	46.8	43.8	3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Buckner Elementary)	54.7	53.2	1.5%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Fort Osage R-I)	49	46.1	2.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	49.3	45.9	3.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	331	334	0.9%
African American	12	12
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	8	32	300%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	304	284	6.6%
Two or More Races	4	5	25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	40.2%	44.6%	4.4%

Schools Near Buckner Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAP Mathematics (2024)			MAP Science (2024)	MAP English Language Arts (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cler-Mont Elementary	Public	K-4	25102 E. US 24 Highway	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Fort Osage R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 650-7350	318	24	13.0	53.1%	196 (61.6%)	27 (8.5%)	55 (17.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.6%)	31 (9.7%)	48.8	462^nd of 906 public elementary schools	49.0%		52.9	422^nd of 898 public elementary schools	53.0%	40	36.2	50.7			35.3	43.0		$12,129	$1,471	$10,658
Buckner Elementary	Public	K-4	25102 E. US 24 Highway	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Fort Osage R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 650-7300	334	27	12.2	44.6%	284 (85.0%)	12 (3.6%)	32 (9.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	40.7	552^nd of 906 public elementary schools	39.1%		46.1	498^th of 898 public elementary schools	44.5%	54	27.4	46.0			33.2	40.7		$13,712	$1,478	$12,234
Indian Trails Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	25102 E. US 24 Highway	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Fort Osage R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 650-7645	355	25	14.0	52.1%	210 (59.2%)	57 (16.1%)	40 (11.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.5%)	35 (9.9%)	29.6	659^th of 906 public elementary schools	27.3%		39.8	570^th of 898 public elementary schools	36.5%	89	29.5	30.9			30.8	34.4		$11,842	$1,309	$10,533
Blue Hills Elementary	Public	K-4	25102 E. US 24 Highway	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Fort Osage R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 650-7440	352	24	14.8	42.3%	232 (65.9%)	23 (6.5%)	48 (13.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	8 (2.3%)	38 (10.8%)	37.1	588^th of 906 public elementary schools	35.1%		68	270^th of 898 public elementary schools	69.9%	318	37.5	34.7			33.2	36.0		$11,383	$1,624	$9,759
Elm Grove Elementary	Public	K-4	25102 E. US 24 Highway	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Fort Osage R-I	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 650-7400	325	28	11.6	68.6%	200 (61.5%)	35 (10.8%)	43 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	38 (11.7%)	11.4	818^th of 906 public elementary schools	9.7%		13	792^nd of 898 public elementary schools	11.8%	26	11.9	24.2			17.0	20.8		$14,049	$1,701	$12,348
Spring Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20404 E Truman Rd	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5455	250	23	11.1	65.2%	142 (56.8%)	26 (10.4%)	42 (16.8%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (14.4%)	42.9	529^th of 906 public elementary schools	41.6%		43.2	533^rd of 898 public elementary schools	40.6%	4	30.0	23.4			47.5	42.8	41.0	$13,600	$4,250	$9,350
Little Blue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 Quail Drive	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5480	295	22	13.4	53.2%	179 (60.7%)	40 (13.6%)	33 (11.2%)	7 (2.4%)	3 (1.0%)	5 (1.7%)	28 (9.5%)	41.3	549^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.4%		55.1	397^th of 898 public elementary schools	55.8%	152	41.8	28.5	18.7	28.0	46.5		44.1	$14,708	$4,029	$10,680
Randall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	509 Jennings Rd	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5445	260	21	12.3	88.1%	109 (41.9%)	64 (24.6%)	40 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.7%)	39 (15.0%)	16.8	762^nd of 906 public elementary schools	15.9%		13.6	785^th of 898 public elementary schools	12.6%	23	14.1	19.2	12.0		14.0	41.2		$14,433	$3,298	$11,136
James Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	717 NW Park Rd	Blue Springs	64015	Jackson County	Blue Springs R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 874-3650	467	35	13.3	24.2%	337 (72.2%)	44 (9.4%)	42 (9.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (8.1%)	70.8	247^th of 906 public elementary schools	72.7%		74.9	188^th of 898 public elementary schools	79.1%	59	55.1	57.8	37.1	35.6	64.1	64.5	44.2	$12,615	$1,440	$11,175
Blackburn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17302 E R D Mize Rd	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5395	372	29	12.9	43.8%	216 (58.1%)	59 (15.9%)	61 (16.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.3%)	57	379^th of 906 public elementary schools	58.2%		53	419^th of 898 public elementary schools	53.3%	40	46.8	54.5	36.1	37.8	40.8		43.0	$11,968	$2,436	$9,532

Frequently Asked Questions about Buckner Elementary

How many students attend Buckner Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 334 students attended Buckner Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Buckner Elementary?

Students at Buckner Elementary are 85% White, 10% Hispanic, 4% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Buckner Elementary a good school?

Buckner Elementary ranks 552^nd of 906 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Buckner Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buckner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fire Prairie Middle
Middle : Osage Trail Middle
High : Fort Osage High

What district is Buckner Elementary in?

Fort Osage R-I

Rate Buckner Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MOMissouri Elementary School Rankings

MOMissouri District Rankings

Schools in Independence, MO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Buckner Elementary!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.