John Diemer Elem, Overland Park KS

Original Research by School Decision on John Diemer Elem

John Diemer Elementary School is a public elementary school in Overland Park, part of the Shawnee Mission Public School district. It serves children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits in a large, car-dependent Kansas City suburb that is the state’s second-most populous city, a place built around wide roads, subdivisions, shopping centers, and office parks rather than a walkable downtown grid. The economy is heavily service-sector, with major employers like T-Mobile and Black & Veatch, and the city has grown steadily through greenfield suburban development and annexation.

The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a modest share of students who identify with two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This makes it a moderately diverse school by socioeconomic status within a mostly white, suburban setting.

Academically, John Diemer posts a mixed picture of proficiency across tested grades in math and English language arts. In third-grade math, the proficiency rate was in the middle range, while fourth-grade math showed a stronger result. Fifth-grade math was also strong, with sixth-grade math pulling back closer to the middle. In English language arts, fourth graders posted a high proficiency rate, while third and fifth graders were in the lower-to-mid range, and sixth graders were closer to the mid-range. Fifth-grade science performance was strong. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among districts in Johnson County, a solid standing in a high-performing county.

The school is not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status was not available in the data. There is no discipline, attendance, or staffing data provided. Data on students with special education plans and English learners was also missing, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about support services in those areas.

The Shawnee Mission district has invested in several district-wide Signature Programs at the high school level, including Biotechnology, Engineering, Medical Health Sciences, and a public safety track, all housed at the Center for Academic Achievement and the Career Technical Campus. The district also emphasizes personalized learning plans for every student, a pedagogical direction that shapes instruction across all grade levels, including at John Diemer.

Housing in the area around the school is priced above the state median, putting it in a more expensive tier within the Kansas City suburban market. Rents have seen a slight decline, while home values have risen. The area is car-dependent, with limited street life, though it has an extensive parks system and recreational amenities.

For a parent, John Diemer offers a suburban elementary experience within a large district that provides specialized high school pathways. The school’s test performance is generally strong relative to other Johnson County districts, especially in the middle elementary grades, though there is some variation by grade and subject. The lack of data on special education and English learner services, as well as on discipline and attendance, means those are areas where a family would need to gather more information directly from the school. The setting is classic suburban sprawl, with all the trade-offs that entails for commuting, walkability, and community feel.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 53% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 57% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 58% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 58% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 60% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 62% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 63% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 59% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 54% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolShawnee Mission Pub Sch, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income30%Higher-income66%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income92%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income68%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income71%57 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income85%45 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income75%Higher-income68%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income71%34 pp gap