Chapel Lakes Elem., Lee's Summit MO

Original Research by School Decision on Chapel Lakes Elem.

Chapel Lakes Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Lee’s Summit, a fast-growing suburban city within the Kansas City metropolitan area. The school is part of the Blue Springs R-IV School District, one of the larger employers in the region. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its student body is large for an elementary building.

Academically, the school posts proficiency rates that place it well above the midpoint among elementary schools in Jackson County. In the most recent state assessments, a strong majority of third, fourth, and fifth graders met or exceeded standards in math and English language arts. Fifth-grade science results, while lower than the math and ELA figures, still show most students scoring proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades, Chapel Lakes’ overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile of the county, a clear strength for families prioritizing measured academic performance.

The student population is predominantly white, with Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students each making up smaller shares. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest, well below the national average. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a parent or guardian with a child in one of those groups may wish to ask the school directly about the supports available.

The community context matters for understanding the school’s setting. Lee’s Summit has grown steadily since World War II, transitioning from an agricultural town to a commuter suburb. Its historic downtown, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hosts festivals, art walks, and a farmers market, but most of the city is made up of single-family subdivisions and auto-oriented commercial corridors. Six large reservoirs and dozens of parks provide recreation. Housing values in the area are well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents have been rising, reflecting the demand that comes with population growth. The city’s schools and their reputation are part of what draws families.

At the district level, Blue Springs R-IV recently broke ground on a Career Innovation Center, reconstructing a former high school campus into a facility with nineteen profession-based learning programs in fields such as aviation, health sciences, and technology. The district also adopted a five-year strategic plan covering the period 2023 to 2028, though the specific priorities of that plan were not detailed in the data available here. These district-level investments signal a broadening of options for students as they move into upper grades, even if they do not directly affect the elementary experience.

Some information that parents often consider is absent from the records. Chronic absenteeism rates, discipline data, and staffing ratios were not reported. The school does not offer any magnet or special program designation that is listed in the public data. Because Chapel Lakes serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. For families weighing the school against others in the area, the strength of the test results and the stability of the housing market are the most concrete indicators in the profile.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 67% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 67% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 58% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 61% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 62% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 60% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

This schoolBLUE SPRINGS R-IV, 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.