Whittier Elem, Kansas City KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Whittier Elem

Whittier Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Kansas City, Kansas, within the Kansas City school district. It is a neighborhood school of modest size for an elementary, drawing its student body from the surrounding residential areas of this mid-sized city that is part of the larger Kansas City metropolitan area. The school is not a charter or magnet school.

The student population is heavily Hispanic, making up a substantial majority of the enrollment, with a much smaller share of Black students and a small White and multiracial presence. Nearly all students at Whittier qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school serves a community with significant economic need.

State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) are available for grades three, four, and five, though readers should be aware that Kansas changed its math and English language arts cut scores in the tested year, which means these results cannot be directly compared to prior years. Across the grades tested, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts decline as grade level increases. In third grade, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar is higher than in the upper grades, while fourth and fifth grade rates are lower. Fifth grade science results follow a similar pattern. When compared against other districts in Wyandotte County, Whittier’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint of the county’s districts. This is a soft spot in performance that a parent may want to look into further with the school.

The Kansas City district publicly reported passing a large bond referendum aimed at facility improvements, safety upgrades, and technology, which could affect the physical school environment at Whittier over time. Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to the national market, with the estimated monthly mortgage payment being lower than the typical rent, suggesting a somewhat more favorable environment for buying than renting. The national unemployment rate has been relatively stable.

Because Whittier is an elementary school serving only grades kindergarten through five, there is no graduation rate or advanced course data to report. Similarly, information on chronic absenteeism and student discipline was not available in the provided data. The school’s website was not provided, so a family looking for more detail on school culture, specific programs, or parent engagement would need to seek that directly from the district or the school itself.

For a family considering Whittier, the picture is of a school serving a high-needs community where academic proficiency rates are an area of concern, particularly as students move through the upper elementary grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, the economic context is one of low household income, and the school sits in a district that has made a major recent investment in its facilities. A parent would want to understand what academic supports and interventions are in place, especially for students in grades four and five where proficiency rates are lower than in the early grades, and how the bond-funded improvements will specifically affect this school building.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 16% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 19% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 22% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 25% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 24% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 19% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolKansas City, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.