Did You Know?
Many people seek out real estate in Leawood, Kansas because of the great schools. Leawood is home to four public elementary schools, two public middle schools, and four private schools. According to GreatSchools.org, a company that rates schools based on a variety of data such as student progress and test scores, all Leawood’s public schools earn GreatSchools Ratings that are “above average” (7-10). However, only one scores an impressive 9 out of 10. Curious which school rates above the rest? Let’s take a look:
Brookwood Elementary School, part of the Shawnee Mission School District, scores a strong 8/10. Test scores in particular are far above the state average. This school feeds into Indian Woods Middle School (5/10) and Shawnee Mission South High School (6/10), both in Overland Park.
The remaining five public schools in Leawood are part of the Blue Valley School District. Leawood Elementary and Mission Trail Elementary both score an 8/10 Summary Rating. Like Brookwood, both schools are particularly strong for test scores. Prairie Star Elementary also gets high marks for test scores, but rates slightly below the others for academic progress, therefore earning a total 7/10 Summary Rating.
Since none of the elementary schools have a rating of 9/10, that leaves the two public middle schools. What have you heard? Is it Leawood Middle or Prairie Star Middle that takes the town’s top spot? Well, if you guessed Prairie Star, you’d be right! Although Leawood Middle also has impressive test scores, earning it a total 7/10 Summary Rating, Prairie Star Middle has the strongest combination of both test scores and academic progress, earning them the town’s gold medal with a 9/10 Summary Rating!
Mission Trail and Leawood Elementary schools feed into Leawood Middle, which then feeds to Blue Valley North High School (8/10). The Prairie Star schools feeds to Blue Valley High (9/10). Both high schools are in in Overland Park.
As mentioned earlier, Leawood is also home to four Private Schools: Cure of Ars Catholic School, Nativity Catholic School, St. Michael the Archangel School, and The Phoenix Montesorri School. GreatSchools.org is not able to rate these institutions due a lack of data from state and national education agencies.
Keep in mind that although test scores are well above average for all Leawood’s schools, there are many factors that contribute to a meaningful and successful school experience for students. In addition, GreatSchools ratings be impacted by additional factors beyond test scores and academic progress. For instance, Leawood Middle School is the only public school in town which has an additional Equity score factoring into its Summary Rating. At the high school level, College Readiness also plays a part. For more information about GreatSchools Ratings, visit their website at greatschools.org.
The bottom line? Leawood residents can be proud of their schools! It’s no wonder that I, and so many other families, love to call this place home.
Did You Know?
Leawood’s first school, Oxford School, opened in May of 1877 as a one room schoolhouse! It is still open to visitors at Ironwoods Park. Visit Oxford Schoolhouse for more information.