The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 65% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Leawood Elementary
Leawood Elementary serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Blue Valley school district, one of two districts that cover the city of Leawood. The school sits in a predominantly residential suburban community in Johnson County, about ten miles southwest of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Leawood is a car-dependent suburb with curvilinear streets, office parks, and shopping centers rather than a walkable downtown. Commercial and civic life centers on places like Town Center Plaza and Park Place along major corridors. The city describes itself as both a premier residential community and a prestigious business address. Its population growth has slowed in recent years; the city is largely built out, and future development is expected to come through infill and redevelopment rather than large-scale expansion.
Leawood Elementary’s academic performance stands out clearly. On the Kansas Assessment Program tests for the 2024-25 school year, the school posted proficiency rates that placed its overall performance in the top quartile relative to districts across Johnson County. In English language arts, proficiency across grades three through five was solidly above the county midpoint, with the strongest results at the fifth-grade level. Math proficiency was also high, though slightly more varied by grade, with fourth grade the lowest of the three tested grades. Fifth-grade science results were similarly strong. It is worth noting that Kansas changed its cut scores for these assessments in recent years, which makes direct year-over-year comparisons difficult, but the current results paint a picture of a school where the large majority of students meet or exceed state standards.
The student body is modest in size for an elementary school, and its composition is heavily white, with small shares of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A very small fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader affluence of the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
The housing market in Leawood is among the most expensive in the Kansas City area. Home values are well above the state and national medians, and rents are correspondingly high. The cost of entry for families buying a home here is substantial, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home is noticeably higher than the area’s median rent. This is a community where housing affordability is a real consideration.
Blue Valley, the district that runs Leawood Elementary, has been active in recent years. Voters approved a sizable bond issue in 2023 to fund facility improvements, safety upgrades, and technology enhancements across the district, all without raising the mill levy. The board also adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading, which began district-wide implementation in the 2024-25 school year. A new elementary school, Aspen Grove, opened in the southern part of the district that same year. The district’s budget has kept the property tax rate flat for three consecutive years, a point of stability for families living in the district.
Leawood Elementary offers no specific magnet or charter designation; it is a neighborhood school within a high-performing suburban district. For a family that values strong standardized test results, a low-poverty student body, and a setting that is suburban and car-dependent, this school fits squarely in that profile. A family should also be aware that the community’s housing costs are very high and that the school does not serve high school grades, so the eventual transition to a Blue Valley middle and high school is part of the longer-term picture.
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