The first day of kindergarten is a milestone for both kids and parents. For some, it’s their first long stretch without each other at their side, although those seven to eight hours in school fly by.
Parents in the Kansas City metro looking for the best schools to send their kids can refer to a new list that shows the best in the area.
Niche , a school and neighborhood ranking service and data aggregator that pulls information from dozens of sources and reviews from current and former students, recently released its 2025 rankings for the best public elementary schools in the Kansas City metro.
2025’s list looks very similar to the list of the best public high schools in the Kansas City metro , where many schools in Overland Park took the top spots.
Here’s a closer look at the top 10 public elementary schools in the metro, and where other schools fall on the list.
Overland Park claims top spots
Nine of the top 10 elementary schools in the Kansas City area are all part of the Blue Valley Unified School District ., according to Niche’s rankings.
The No. 1 school in the area is Lakewood Elementary School , located at 14600 Lamar Ave. in Overland Park. The school, also named the best elementary school in Kansas, received an overall A+ from Niche.
The next eight schools in the top 10 all come from the Blue Valley Unified School District:
- Harmony Elementary School , 14140 Grant St., Overland Park
- Cottonwood Point Elementary School , 10521 W. 129th St., Overland Park
- Cedar Hills Elementary School , 9100 W. 165th St., Overland Park
- Morse Elementary School , 15201 Monrovia St., Overland Park
- Sunset Ridge Elementary School , 14901 England St., Overland Park
- Mission Trail Elementary School , 13200 Mission Road, Leawood
- Timber Creek Elementary School , 16451 Flint St., Overland Park
- Heartland Elementary School , 12775 Goodman St., Overland Park
The Blue Valley Unified School District was also rated the No. 1 school district in Kansas and the No. 1 district with the best teachers, receiving an A+ grade from Niche . The school district was rated the 76th best school district in the United States.
One Missouri school makes the top 10
The 2025 list sees one elementary school based in Missouri in the top 10: James Walker Elementary School , 201 SE Sunnyside School Road in Blue Springs. The school is a part of the Blue Springs R-IV School District and received an A grade from Niche.
The next school from Missouri comes in at No. 15, Franklin Smith Elementary School in the Blue Springs school district. The first Kansas City, Missouri, public elementary school to appear in the ranking is Park Hill School District’s English Landing Elementary Schoo l, located at 6500 NW Klamm Drive, coming in at No. 73.
Hale Cook Elementary School with Kansas City Public Schools was named the second-best standout school in the Kansas City area, according to a Niche ranking that focuses on schools with economically disadvantaged students .
It was the first KCPS school found on Niche’s overall rankings of the best elementary schools in the Kansas City area, coming in at No. 193.
Local News
Comments / 0