The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Noble Prentis Elem
Noble Prentis Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Kansas City, Kansas, as part of the Kansas City school district. For families considering this school, what matters most is understanding the academic reality on the ground, the economic context surrounding the school, and the broader district picture.
The student body is diverse. The largest group of students identifies as Hispanic, followed by white students and then Black students, with small shares of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. A very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context. This economic profile is not the whole story, but it is an important one for any parent weighing how a school’s resources match their child’s needs.
The Kansas state assessment results for the most recent testing year are the central piece of information here, and they are sobering. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was very low across all tested grades. The results for third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade all fell in a range that the state considers below the proficient threshold. In English language arts, the results were higher than in math but still low, with fourth and fifth grade showing a modest share of students meeting the proficient mark. Science results for fifth graders were also very low. Looking at the overall proficiency picture across tested subjects and grades, Noble Prentis ranks in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Wyandotte County. A parent should take this as a clear signal: the school serves a student population that, on these state tests, is struggling to meet grade-level benchmarks. A parent who values high test scores as a primary metric will find this school challenging from that angle.
Because the school only serves elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, which is expected for this grade band. Chronic absenteeism data and special education and English learner counts were also not available in the provided data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those figures and how the school supports students with those needs.
The Kansas City district passed a bond referendum in late 2022, which publicly reported as the largest bond in district history, funding facility improvements, safety upgrades, and technology. This means the physical school building may see improvements in the coming years, and the district is investing in its infrastructure.
On the housing market side, home values in the surrounding zip code are below the Kansas state average and well below the national average, making this a relatively affordable area for homebuyers. Rents have been rising recently, but the estimated rent as a share of income is manageable by national standards, suggesting that housing costs are not as severe a burden here as in many parts of the country.
The community context of Kansas City, Kansas is that of a mid-sized city within the larger Kansas City metropolitan area, with a working-class heritage and diverse neighborhoods. Specific information about walkability, major employers, downtown life, and recent development trends was not found in the available research, so a family considering this area would want to explore the neighborhood directly to understand the day-to-day environment around the school.
For whom does this school fit? Noble Prentis Elementary serves a community with high economic need. The test results indicate that the majority of students are not reaching state proficiency benchmarks, and the school ranks low among its county peers. A parent who is looking for a school with strong academic performance on state assessments will find a mismatch here. A parent who is committed to being actively involved in supporting their child's learning in a setting where many families face economic challenges may find a community-oriented school. The bottom line is that this is a school where the academic challenges are evident in the data, and a parent should enter with clear eyes about what those numbers mean and be prepared to ask what academic interventions and supports are in place.
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