Plaza Middle

Q: Is Plaza Middle a good school?

Plaza Middle ranks 162 nd of 451 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Plaza Middle is a public middle school located in Kansas City, Missouri, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 715 students. It is part of the Park Hill School District, which is ranked 76 out of 386 districts in Missouri and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Plaza Middle has consistently ranked in the top 30% of Missouri middle schools over the past 4 years, with a notable strength in Algebra I and 8th grade English Language Arts, where students significantly outperform the district and state averages. However, the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the district and state, and its performance for Special Education and Low Socioeconomic Status student subgroups has been relatively weaker. The school's per-student spending has steadily increased, and its student-teacher ratio is slightly higher than nearby schools within the Park Hill district, such as Congress Middle, Walden Middle, and Lakeview Middle.

Compared to nearby schools in the North Kansas City 74 School District, such as Eastgate 6th Grade Center, Maple Park Middle, and Northgate Middle, Plaza Middle generally performs on par or slightly better. However, Lakeview Middle stands out as a high-performing school within the Park Hill district, consistently ranking in the top 33-54 out of 451-459 Missouri middle schools.

Detail:

Public 6-8

6501 NW 72nd St
Kansas City, MO 64151-1675

(816) 359-4210

District: Park Hill

SchoolDigger Rank:
162^nd of 451 Missouri Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,365

Students who attend Plaza Middle usually attend:

High:

Park Hill High

Feeder schools for Plaza Middle:

Elementary:	Hopewell Elementary
	Thomas B. Chinn Elementary
	Tiffany Ridge Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.3

Number of students: 715

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.3%

African American:

18.6%

Hispanic:

11.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 30.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Plaza Middle ranks better than 64.1% of middle schools in Missouri. It also ranks last among 4 ranked middle schools in the Park Hill School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.02. (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 Plaza Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Park Hill School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Plaza Middle is $13,365, which is the 2^nd highest among 4 middle schools in the Park Hill School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Plaza Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Plaza Middle 162^nd of 451 Missouri public middle schools. (See Plaza Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

African American students:

White students:

Park Hill:

SchoolDigger ranks Park Hill 76^th of 386 Missouri school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Plaza Middle

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Rank History for all students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2021	67.98	115^th	454	74.7%
2022	73.18	96^th	459	79.1%
2023	66.61	130^th	459	71.7%
2024	60.02	162^nd	451	64.1%

See the entire list of Missouri Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2022	63.88	12^th	68	82.4%
2023	63.92	14^th	68	79.4%
2024	53.92	29^th	72	59.7%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	46.31	95^th	192	50.5%
2024	23.84	166^th	194	14.4%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2021	54.77	138^th	371	62.8%
2022	62.87	100^th	365	72.6%
2023	46.42	198^th	382	48.2%
2024	32.50	289^th	378	23.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	48.51	82^nd	195	57.9%
2022	53.24	77^th	187	58.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2021	84.31	13^th	135	90.4%
2022	89.14	7^th	148	95.3%
2023	76.03	20^th	153	86.9%
2024	62.08	41^st	144	71.5%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	75.60	6^th	67	91.0%
2022	39.40	43^rd	78	44.9%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Plaza Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MO State Percentile
2021	71.11	78^th	376	79.3%
2022	79.49	53^rd	381	86.1%
2023	73.58	72^nd	385	81.3%
2024	71.86	88^th	379	76.8%

See the entire list of Best Missouri Middle 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

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Enrollment information for Plaza Middle

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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	602	602
1992	833	36	10	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	892
1993	890	35	19	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	959
1994	823	32	18	21	2	n/a	n/a	0	896
1995	844	50	14	27	3	n/a	n/a	0	938
1996	844	50	14	27	3	n/a	n/a	0	938
1997	876	56	13	29	4	n/a	n/a	0	978
1998	911	72	15	27	4	n/a	n/a	0	1029
1999	488	31	6	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	536
2000	550	37	22	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	629
2001	518	41	29	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	608
2002	664	49	21	27	4	n/a	n/a	0	765
2003	664	49	21	27	4	n/a	n/a	0	765
2004	654	56	21	38	4	n/a	n/a	0	773
2005	604	71	20	25	2	n/a	n/a	0	722
2006	596	57	25	33	7	n/a	n/a	0	718
2007	581	79	29	40	5	n/a	n/a	0	734
2008	613	70	26	42	8	n/a	n/a	0	759
2009	595	86	41	58	6	n/a	n/a	0	786
2010	593	79	37	44	8	n/a	n/a	0	761
2011	562	80	34	59	6	6	33	0	780
2012	552	83	29	68	3	10	30	0	775
2013	574	91	19	76	4	12	31	0	807
2014	582	90	27	76	1	6	35	0	817
2015	613	81	24	80	2	8	38	0	846
2016	557	88	28	90	5	12	37	0	817
2017	562	87	27	84	3	13	31	0	807
2018	603	92	25	90	6	7	49	0	872
2019	607	121	31	97	2	6	50	0	914
2020	399	127	35	92	3	6	46	0	708
2021	384	137	31	86	3	5	43	0	689
2022	394	134	25	77	1	9	41	0	681
2023	417	133	24	79	3	15	44	0	715

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 Plaza Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	602	53.5	11.2	n/a
1992	892	56.8	15.7	12.3
1993	959	58.1	16.5	12
1994	896	55.9	16.0	14
1995	938	61.1	15.4	16.4
1996	938	61.1	15.4	16.4
1997	978	64.0	15.3	9.4
1998	1029	65.4	15.7	9.4
1999	536	41.1	13.0	14.4
2000	629	44.3	14.2	15.1
2001	608	43.5	14.0	17.4
2002	765	52.4	14.6	16.5
2003	765	52.4	14.6	16.5
2004	773	48.8	15.8	16.3
2005	722	47.8	15.1	17.6
2006	718	47.1	15.2	19.5
2007	734	46.0	16.0	22.3
2008	759	49.3	15.4	21.1
2009	786	48.3	16.3	24.9
2010	761	49.1	15.4	25.5
2011	780	50.5	15.4	25.6
2012	775	50.1	15.4	28.6
2013	807	50.8	15.8	30.4
2014	817	52.1	15.6	25.9
2015	846	51.0	16.5	29.6
2016	817	52.0	15.7	30.2
2017	807	52.6	15.3	25.8
2018	872	55.9	15.5	26.3
2019	914	57.4	15.9	31.9
2020	708	51.1	13.8	34.2
2021	689	51.0	13.5	31.2
2022	681	49.6	13.7	24.1
2023	715	53.5	13.3	30.1

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 Plaza Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	602	53.5	11.2	n/a
1992	892	56.8	15.7	12.3
1993	959	58.1	16.5	12
1994	896	55.9	16.0	14
1995	938	61.1	15.4	16.4
1996	938	61.1	15.4	16.4
1997	978	64.0	15.3	9.4
1998	1029	65.4	15.7	9.4
1999	536	41.1	13.0	14.4
2000	629	44.3	14.2	15.1
2001	608	43.5	14.0	17.4
2002	765	52.4	14.6	16.5
2003	765	52.4	14.6	16.5
2004	773	48.8	15.8	16.3
2005	722	47.8	15.1	17.6
2006	718	47.1	15.2	19.5
2007	734	46.0	16.0	22.3
2008	759	49.3	15.4	21.1
2009	786	48.3	16.3	24.9
2010	761	49.1	15.4	25.5
2011	780	50.5	15.4	25.6
2012	775	50.1	15.4	28.6
2013	807	50.8	15.8	30.4
2014	817	52.1	15.6	25.9
2015	846	51.0	16.5	29.6
2016	817	52.0	15.7	30.2
2017	807	52.6	15.3	25.8
2018	872	55.9	15.5	26.3
2019	914	57.4	15.9	31.9
2020	708	51.1	13.8	34.2
2021	689	51.0	13.5	31.2
2022	681	49.6	13.7	24.1
2023	715	53.5	13.3	30.1

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 Plaza Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$195 (1.7%)	$11,455 (98.3%)	$11,650
2020	$140 (1.2%)	$11,667 (98.8%)	$11,807
2021	$230 (1.8%)	$12,486 (98.2%)	$12,716
2022	$543 (4.1%)	$12,822 (95.9%)	$13,365

Data source: Missouri Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Plaza Middle

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.

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Plaza Middle)	44.3	44.8	0.5%
6th Grade Mathematics (Park Hill)	43.9	50.6	6.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Missouri)	42.5	43.7	1.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Plaza Middle)	52.3	35.8	16.5%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Park Hill)	52	45.4	6.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Missouri)	45.9	37.5	8.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	914	715	21.8%
African American	121	133	9.9%
American Indian	2	3	50%
Asian	31	24	22.6%
Hispanic	97	79	18.6%
Pacific Islander	6	15	150%
White	607	417	31.3%
Two or More Races	50	44	12%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	31.9%	30.1%	1.9%

Schools Near Plaza Middle

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)			MAP Algebra I (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 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Plaza Middle	Public	6-8	6501 NW 72nd St	Kansas City	64151	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	No	(816) 359-4210	715	54	13.3	30.1%	417 (58.3%)	133 (18.6%)	79 (11.0%)	24 (3.4%)	3 (0.4%)	15 (2.1%)	44 (6.2%)	60	162^nd of 451 public middle schools	64.1%		66.6	130^th of 459 public middle schools	71.7%	32	35.6	48.0	21.2	40.0	33.9	41.5	47.5	72.0	$13,365	$543	$12,822
Lakeview Middle	Public	6-8	6720 NW 64th St	Kansas City	64151	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	No	(816) 359-4220	679	53	12.8	23.1%	497 (73.2%)	49 (7.2%)	64 (9.4%)	10 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	54 (8.0%)	89.4	33^rd of 451 public middle schools	92.7%		84.5	45^th of 459 public middle schools	90.2%	12	64.2	51.5	59.7	50.4	57.8	51.6	59.3		$14,341	$858	$13,483
Congress Middle	Public	6-8	8150 N Congress Ave	Kansas City	64153	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	No	(816) 359-4230	642	54	12.0	25.4%	420 (65.4%)	69 (10.7%)	79 (12.3%)	29 (4.5%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (2.0%)	30 (4.7%)	60.9	157^th of 451 public middle schools	65.2%		67.6	124^th of 459 public middle schools	73.0%	33	43.0	58.5	20.2	33.3	40.5	40.8	40.4	92.2	$13,365	$797	$12,568
Walden Middle	Public	6-8	4701 NW 56th Street	Kansas City	64151	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	No	(816) 359-4240	747	53	13.9	31.6%	480 (64.3%)	104 (13.9%)	78 (10.4%)	26 (3.5%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.3%)	47 (6.3%)	69.2	116^th of 451 public middle schools	74.3%		68.8	114^th of 459 public middle schools	75.2%	2	51.1	50.1	23.6	37.7	46.2	40.7	50.0	93.1	$12,942	$648	$12,294
Platte Purchase Middle School	Public	6-8	9400 N Platte Purchase Dr	Kansas City	64155	Clay County	Platte County R-III	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(816) 436-1433	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	63	145^th of 451 public middle schools	67.8%					(n/a)	34.4	38.1	30.6	43.0	38.7	36.0	58.7	91.1
Antioch Middle	Public	7-8	2100 NE 65th St	Gladstone	64118	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5260	865	59	14.7	46.6%	461 (53.3%)	111 (12.8%)	151 (17.5%)	23 (2.7%)	2 (0.2%)	23 (2.7%)	94 (10.9%)	68.6	118^th of 451 public middle schools	73.8%		68.3	118^th of 459 public middle schools	74.3%			43.3	28.2	40.6		46.9	48.1	94.1	$12,684	$534	$12,149
New Mark Middle	Public	7-8	515 NE 106th St	Kansas City	64155	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5290	1,005	62	16.2	36.3%	652 (64.9%)	124 (12.3%)	102 (10.1%)	24 (2.4%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	96 (9.6%)	80.7	61^st of 451 public middle schools	86.5%		82.1	56^th of 459 public middle schools	87.8%	5		54.0	38.8	48.4		53.9	46.7	98.5	$12,371	$502	$11,869
Northgate Middle	Public	7-8	2117 NE 48th St	Kansas City	64118	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5300	689	53	12.8	62.6%	257 (37.3%)	152 (22.1%)	127 (18.4%)	37 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	16 (2.3%)	97 (14.1%)	35.7	297^th of 451 public middle schools	34.1%		39	291^st of 459 public middle schools	36.6%	6		29.2	13.1	25.0		37.5	30.8	92.6	$13,335	$509	$12,826
Gateway 6th Grade Center	Public	6	9201 N Indiana Ave	Kansas City	64156	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5360	923	60	15.3	36.2%	532 (57.6%)	126 (13.7%)	121 (13.1%)	18 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.5%)	111 (12.0%)								(n/a)	59.8				52.2				$12,434	$528	$11,907
Eastgate 6th Grade Center	Public	6	4700 NE Parvin Rd	Kansas City	64117	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5270	607	50	12.0	65.1%	273 (45.0%)	131 (21.6%)	98 (16.1%)	23 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.0%)	75 (12.4%)								(n/a)	40.2				35.7				$12,395	$519	$11,876

Frequently Asked Questions about Plaza Middle

Is Plaza Middle a good school?

Plaza Middle ranks 162^nd of 451 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Plaza Middle?

In the 2022-23 school year, 715 students attended Plaza Middle.

What high school do graduates of Plaza Middle attend?

Students who attend Plaza Middle usually go on to attend Park Hill High

What district is Plaza Middle in?

Park Hill

What is the racial makeup of Plaza Middle?

Students at Plaza Middle are 58% White, 19% African American, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

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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.