Arbor Creek Elementary, Olathe KS

Original Research by School Decision on Arbor Creek Elementary

Arbor Creek Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Olathe, a large suburban city southwest of downtown Kansas City. The school sits in Johnson County, one of the most affluent and fastest-growing parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The broader district, Olathe Public Schools, has recently faced both growth pressure and budget constraints—voters approved a major bond package in 2024 for a new elementary school and upgrades, while the school board also voted to close three elementary schools after the 2024–25 year due to declining enrollment and tight budgets. That tension between expansion and consolidation matters for families considering the district.

Academically, Arbor Creek stands out. Its students performed well above the midpoint among the county's districts on the state’s KAP assessments. In both math and English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above hit comfortably above the three-quarters mark in several tested grades. Third-grade math and English proficiency were each in the range of roughly seven in ten students meeting the bar, and fourth and fifth graders scored even higher in both subjects, with fourth-grade English approaching eight in ten. Science results for fifth graders were lower, with about half of students proficient, which is not unusual for elementary science and is an area a parent may want to discuss with the school. The state changed the cut scores for math and English in this testing cycle, so it is not possible to compare these results to prior years, but the current level is strong by any reasonable standard.

The student body is relatively small for an elementary school in a district of this size, and the pre-kindergarten program enrolls a large number of children, giving the school a clear early-childhood focus. A very low share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which aligns with the area’s overall affluence. The majority of students are white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and Black students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so a family with specific support needs would want to ask the school directly.

The surrounding community is a fast-growing suburb with a strong employment base anchored by companies like Garmin, Honeywell, and Farmers Insurance. Home values in the area sit well above both the Kansas and national medians, and rents have been climbing. The built environment is auto-oriented, though the city maintains an extensive network of trails and parks. Families moving here should expect suburban-style development with good access to jobs and services.

Arbor Creek’s academic record, coupled with the demographics and housing market, paints a picture of a school that serves a generally well-resourced community and delivers solid results. The district’s recent closures mean that attendance boundaries could shift in the coming years, so families should verify whether Arbor Creek’s zone is stable. For those looking for a strong elementary school in a growing, middle-to-upper-income suburb, this school fits that profile.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 57% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 61% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 60% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 61% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 62% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 60% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 51% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

This schoolOlathe, 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.