Thomas B. Chinn Elem., Kansas City MO

Original Research by School Decision on Thomas B. Chinn Elem.

Thomas B. Chinn Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Park Hill School District, a regular public school located in the northern portion of Kansas City, Missouri. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: no single group forms an outright majority, with White students making up the largest single share, followed by Black and Hispanic students, along with smaller groups of students who identify as two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, or American Indian. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State testing results from the Missouri Assessment Program show overall proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science that place the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Platte County. In each tested grade and subject, the share of students reaching the proficient or advanced level falls below the midpoint of the county’s districts. A parent may want to discuss these results with the school to understand what academic supports and interventions are in place. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on special education identification and English learner status were not available in the profile, so a family interested in those areas would need to ask the school directly.

The school is situated in the Park Hill district, which has been planning for enrollment growth. In fall 2025 the district is opening a new elementary school, Angeline Washington Elementary, its twelfth. That new school will shift attendance boundaries and may affect which elementary a child living in this area will attend. The district also opened the LEAD Innovation Studio in 2020, a high school program housed in its own facility, though that is not directly relevant to Chinn’s elementary students except as a future option for those who stay in the district through high school.

The surrounding community is part of Kansas City, a major urban center with a wide mix of commercial, industrial, and residential areas. The school’s location in Platte County, north of the Missouri River, places it in a part of the city that includes suburban-style development and newer residential neighborhoods. Housing in the area carries a value above the state average but remains more affordable than the national typical home price. Rents are moderate relative to local incomes. The local unemployment rate has been stable near the national average, and median household income nationally has been around a mid-eighty-thousand-dollar figure. The city overall is car-dependent, though concentrated walkable districts exist downtown and near the Country Club Plaza. The Park Hill district’s schools are on separated campuses spread across this part of the city rather than clustered in a single neighborhood.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is an elementary school with a diverse student population and a notable share of students from lower-income households. Academic performance on state assessments is lower than what is typical across Platte County districts, which is worth investigating further. The district is growing and will be adjusting elementary boundaries soon, so a family should confirm which school their address will be assigned to after the new elementary opens. The housing market in the area is within reach of many metro-area buyers and renters, with values that have been rising modestly. This is a school where a parent will want to be proactive about understanding the academic support provided and how the school addresses the needs of its varied student body.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 46% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 48% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 50% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 52% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 48% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolPARK HILL, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income52%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income39%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income48%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income50%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income36%15 pp gap