The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cassell Park Elementary
Cassell Park Elementary is a regular public school in Independence, Missouri, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Independence 30 school district, one of the largest employers in the city. The school’s student body is large for an elementary school, and its population is diverse, with the largest groups being Hispanic students and White students, followed by Black students and students who identify with two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic pressures.
State assessment results from the Missouri Assessment Program are available for grades three through five in math and English language arts, and for grade five in science. Across all tested grades and subjects, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is low. In math, the proportion of students reaching that benchmark is well below the midpoint among tested schools, with a modest share in third grade and a smaller share in fourth and fifth grades. English language arts scores are similarly modest; about one in four students in grades three and four scored proficient, with a slightly larger share in fifth grade. Science proficiency is also low. A parent considering Cassell Park should be aware that these figures are among the lower end in the Jackson County area, though they are close to the median for the county’s districts overall. There is no information available about how scores have changed over recent years.
The school’s environment reflects its suburban setting. Independence is a large city on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, with a mix of older neighborhoods near the historic downtown and newer subdivisions farther east. The city is car-dependent outside a small walkable core around the courthouse square, home to the Truman Presidential Library and other museums. Housing in the area is moderately priced compared to national averages, with rents also at a moderate level, making the community accessible to many working families. The district itself has implemented a four-day instructional week starting in the 2023-2024 school year, while maintaining total instructional minutes. Selected Mondays offer optional enrichment activities. This schedule change is a significant practical consideration for families, as it affects childcare arrangements and weekly routines.
The school offers no special programs or course access data in the available information, and there is no breakdown of staffing, discipline, or attendance patterns. Because Cassell Park is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places the school slightly below the midpoint among the thirty-two school districts in Jackson County. This means that while many other elementary schools in the county post stronger results, Cassell Park is not an outlier on the low end, but rather part of a broad middle-to-lower band.
For a family evaluating Cassell Park, the key factors are the school’s modest academic performance on state assessments, its economic diversity, and the district’s structural shift to a four-day week. The area offers affordable housing and a range of civic and cultural amenities, but daily life without a car would be challenging. Families focused on strong standardized test scores may want to explore what academic supports the school provides, as the raw proficiency numbers are limited. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations, as well as on chronic absenteeism, is a gap that parents may wish to discuss directly with the school.
See more original research from School Decision →