The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pleasant Ridge Elem
Pleasant Ridge Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Overland Park, a large suburban city that functions as one of Kansas City's primary residential suburbs. The school sits within the Olathe district, which covers much of the area's southern and western portions. Overland Park itself is car-dependent, built around wide roads, shopping centers, and residential subdivisions rather than a walkable street grid. The city has grown rapidly over decades through greenfield development and annexation, and it continues to attract corporate relocations in technology and professional services.
Academically, Pleasant Ridge posts a strong overall proficiency picture when compared with other Johnson County districts. Tested in the Kansas Assessment Program, the school's combined proficiency across math, English language arts, and science places it in the top quartile among the county's eight districts. Looking at individual grade levels, math proficiency shows a noticeable dip in third grade compared with fourth, while fifth-grade math returns to a level similar to third. In English language arts, all three tested grades consistently show a strong majority of students meeting proficiency. Fifth-grade science, the only tested science grade, mirrors the fifth-grade math rate. The proficiency data comes from the 2024-25 school year, though the state adjusted cut scores for math and ELA, which makes year-over-year trend comparisons uncertain.
The student body is relatively small for an elementary school. Enrollment is predominantly white, with a meaningful presence of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a notably lower share than in many district and state counterparts. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school or district about those populations.
Housing in the area is expensive. Home values in the ZIP code are well above both the Kansas and national benchmarks, and rent is also elevated relative to income. The local economy is strong, with a low unemployment rate and a median household income above the national figure. The service sector dominates employment in Overland Park, led by health care, retail, and information technology.
The most significant fact about Pleasant Ridge Elementary is that it will close at the end of the 2024-25 school year. The Olathe school board voted to close Pleasant Ridge along with two other elementary schools, citing budget constraints and declining district-wide enrollment. This decision will redraw attendance boundaries and affect families living in the school's catchment area. The impact is immediate for any family considering this school going forward. At the same time, voters approved a bond issue in 2024 that funds a new elementary school, security upgrades, technology improvements, and land for a future middle school, all without increasing the mill levy. So while Pleasant Ridge is closing, the district is investing in new capacity elsewhere.
For a family weighing this school, the academic numbers are solid and the peer environment is relatively low in economic disadvantage. But the closure means the school will not exist as an option beyond the current year. Any parent considering a home in this attendance zone should look up the new boundary maps from the district and understand which elementary school will serve the address after the closure. The Olathe district continues to grow in capacity elsewhere, but the immediate disruption is real.
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