The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on West Englewood Elementary
West Englewood Elementary is a regular public school in the North Kansas City 74 district, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in a portion of Kansas City that lies within Clay County, north of the Missouri River. The surrounding area combines older residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors, part of the larger Kansas City metro’s suburban northland. The district itself, based on publicly available records, has not recently undertaken major bond issues, boundary shifts, or curriculum overhauls that would be visible to parents.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary, with roughly balanced class sizes across the grades. The student body is diverse. More than a third of students are white, while substantial shares identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic pressures. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data reviewed.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, the school’s results show a clear pattern. In both math and English language arts, proficiency rates vary by grade, but the overall picture places West Englewood’s academic performance in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Clay County. Math proficiency is notably lower than ELA in most grades, while science proficiency at grade five lands in a similar range to the school’s stronger ELA grades. These are not strong numbers, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are performing below grade level and what instructional strategies are in place. Because only a single year of data is available, there is no basis to assess improvement or decline over time.
As an elementary school, West Englewood does not have a graduation rate or offer the kinds of advanced coursework that matter at the high school level. Its academic focus is on building foundational skills. The data reviewed did not include information on programs such as gifted services, art, music, or before- and after-school care, so the full range of offerings is not captured here.
Housing in the area around the school is priced near the statewide average for Missouri, with typical rents also in a middle range. The neighborhood is largely car-dependent, consistent with much of Kansas City’s northern suburbs, though a streetcar line and walkable pockets are concentrated in the downtown core some distance away. The community includes parks, libraries, and cultural institutions, but daily errands and school drop-offs generally require a vehicle.
For families considering West Englewood, the central facts are these. It is a diverse, high-needs elementary school in a stable suburban portion of Kansas City, part of a district that has not seen dramatic recent changes. Its test results are below the middle of the pack for the county, especially in math. Parents should expect to be engaged partners with the school in supporting their child’s academic progress. The data does not show any standout programs or accolades, nor does it indicate significant struggles with chronic absenteeism or discipline, as those metrics were not available. The school is what it is: a regular neighborhood elementary with a committed teaching staff navigating the challenge of helping a large share of students from low-income households reach grade-level benchmarks.
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