The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Math. The lowest is 40% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Daniel Young Elem.
Daniel Young Elementary sits in Blue Springs, a fast-growing suburban city east of Kansas City that markets itself as a family-oriented community with affordable housing and a strong sense of place. The school serves children from prekindergarten through fifth grade and draws its roughly 300-plus students from the surrounding neighborhoods. It is a regular public school within the Blue Springs R-IV School District, which a parent may want to know is in the midst of building a new Career Innovation Center focused on profession-based learning, a district expansion that signals investment in future pathways for older students.
Academically, Daniel Young Elementary shows a mixed picture that a parent will want to examine closely. On the Missouri Assessment Program, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among districts in Jackson County, which is a real strength in a county with many districts. Drilling into specific grades and subjects, however, the results are uneven. In third-grade math, about half of students scored proficient or above. Fourth-grade math was a stronger showing, with a large majority meeting that bar. Fifth-grade math fell back to about half proficient. In English language arts, the only reported result is for third grade, where just under two in five students scored proficient. Results for fourth- and fifth-grade ELA were suppressed, meaning they were not released publicly, which often occurs when the tested group is small or for privacy reasons. A parent may want to speak directly with the school to understand how its older elementary students are performing in reading and writing. In fifth-grade science, roughly half of students met proficiency.
The school’s student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up just over a tenth of enrollment, Black students close to a tenth, and smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. About two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is typical for the community but worth noting for families who are weighing the level of socioeconomic diversity. Special education and English learner counts were not available in the data, so a parent who needs those details should ask the school directly.
Blue Springs itself is a car-dependent suburb where most errands require a drive. The city has grown steadily over the past decade and describes itself as newly energized and fast-growing, with a mix of single-family subdivisions and strip commercial corridors along Main Street and near Interstate 70. Housing values and rents are moderate for the region, and the median household income is solid, putting the community within reach of many families who work in Kansas City or locally. The school district is a significant employer and a point of pride, with the new Career Innovation Center representing a long-term investment in career and technical education that will expand options for middle and high school students in the years ahead.
Who might Daniel Young Elementary fit? A family looking for a typical suburban elementary school with above-average countywide proficiency, a manageable size, and a supportive district that is actively expanding its program offerings, especially for older students. The school’s mixed test results, particularly the suppressed ELA scores in upper grades, mean it is not a straightforward top-tier pick; a parent should ask about reading interventions and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks. For a family who values a community that is growing and investing in its schools, and who is comfortable with a car-dependent suburban setting, this school is worth a close look and a conversation with the principal.
See more original research from School Decision →