The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Science. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bingham Middle
Bingham Middle serves seventh and eighth graders in Independence, a large suburban city on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area. It is a regular public school within the Independence 30 district, which recently moved to a four-day instructional week while keeping the same total educational minutes. That calendar change, which took effect in the 2023-2024 school year, includes optional enrichment and learning activities on some non-school Mondays. For families, this is a practical consideration that affects weekly schedules and childcare planning.
The school enrolls a student body that is majority white, with a sizable Hispanic population and a notable Black share, along with smaller groups of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic makeup of the community. Independence itself has a mix of historic neighborhoods near the courthouse square and more car-dependent suburban and rural areas farther east. Housing values in the area sit somewhat above the state average but still below the national benchmark, and rents are moderate. The city’s major employers include the school district itself, a hospital, and a defense contractor, and median household income trails the national figure.
On Missouri’s MAP assessments, the school’s results are mixed. In English language arts, roughly three in ten seventh graders and a slightly higher share of eighth graders scored at or above the proficient level. In math, about three in ten seventh graders reached proficiency, while eighth-grade math performance was notably lower. Science results for eighth graders were comparable to the stronger ELA figures. When compared with other districts across Jackson County, the school’s overall proficiency index — a combined average across tested subjects and grades — falls above the midpoint. That means it is not among the highest-performing schools in the county, but it also is not near the bottom. A parent may want to look into how these results align with their child’s specific needs and whether the school offers targeted supports in math, particularly for eighth graders.
The data do not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios, so those dimensions of the school environment are not available to assess here. No program offerings such as advanced courses or special electives were reported in the available records. Because the school serves only two grade levels, there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing does not apply to grades below those tested.
Bingham Middle is a mid-sized middle school set within a district undergoing a structural schedule change. Its academic results place it in the middle tier among the county’s districts, with a notable gap between seventh- and eighth-grade math that might be worth a closer conversation with the school. The community it serves is a large, economically diverse suburb with a mix of housing and employment anchored by the school district and healthcare. For a family weighing the four-day week and the school’s overall performance profile, it is a place that warrants direct inquiry into classroom support, extracurricular offerings, and how the new calendar works in practice.
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