Trailwood Elem, Overland Park KS

Original Research by School Decision on Trailwood Elem

Trailwood Elementary is a public school in Overland Park serving preschool through sixth grade. It is part of the Shawnee Mission Public Schools district, one of the two main districts covering this large suburban city southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. The school sits in a well-established residential area of Overland Park, a city that has grown rapidly through greenfield development and continues to attract corporate employers. The neighborhood around the school is car-dependent suburban in character, with wide roads, shopping centers, and subdivisions rather than a walkable grid.

Academically, Trailwood posts strong results across the board. In the most recent state testing, a large majority of students in every tested grade scored proficient or above in both math and English language arts. Fifth-grade science results were similarly high. The school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it among the top-performing schools in Johnson County. Because Kansas changed the scoring standards for these assessments in the same year, direct comparisons to prior years are not available from this data alone, but the current performance level is clearly elevated relative to county peers.

The student body numbers roughly 440 children, making it a mid-sized elementary school for its grade band. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, Asian, and Black. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that is low both in absolute terms and relative to state averages. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported for this school.

Housing in the immediate area is expensive. Home values in the ZIP code are well above both the Kansas median and the national median, and rents are also above national averages. The cost of buying versus renting tilts toward renting as a more affordable option each month given current mortgage rates. This is a pricey part of the Kansas City suburbs, consistent with Overland Park’s overall profile as an affluent, growing community.

Trailwood is one of many elementary schools in the Shawnee Mission district, which has a stated focus on personalized learning plans for every student. The district also operates specialized Signature Programs at the high school level—such as biotechnology, engineering, and medical health sciences—but those do not directly affect elementary instruction. No information about specific programs at Trailwood itself was available in the data reviewed, nor were there data on discipline, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is clear: students here perform at a high level on state tests, and the peer environment is one of very low poverty. The school serves a predominantly white, economically comfortable population in a high-cost suburban housing market. A parent looking for a strong elementary with proven academic results in a stable district should find Trailwood a solid fit. Those seeking more racial or economic diversity, or a school with a wider range of specialized elementary programming, may want to ask the school directly about what enrichment or intervention options are available beyond the core curriculum.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 374%

School 74% · District 53% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 472%

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

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

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 58% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 58% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 60% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 62% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 63% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 59% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 54% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 26 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 4Lower-income70%Higher-income81%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income72%2 pp gap