Union Chapel Elem., Kansas City MO

Original Research by School Decision on Union Chapel Elem.

Union Chapel Elementary, a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, sits within the Park Hill School District on the northern edge of Kansas City in Platte County. The school's academic performance on the Missouri Assessment Program is a clear strength. Across tested grades in math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced rises steadily from a solid showing in third grade to a stronger showing in fourth and an even stronger one in fifth. In English language arts, the pattern is similar, with the fifth-grade proficiency rate standing out as particularly high. Fifth graders also performed well in science. When measured against other elementary schools in districts across Platte County, Union Chapel’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades places it among the top performers in that group, a notably strong position.

The student body is enrolled at a size typical of a larger elementary. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students, and a small number of students identifying as Asian, multiracial, or other groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively lower level of economic need compared to many schools in the region. Data on the share of students with disabilities and the share of English learners was not available in the record; a parent may want to ask the school directly about the availability of special education and English language support. The school has a regular public school designation and is not a charter or magnet school. Information about Title I status, class sizes, chronic absenteeism, and discipline incidents was not present in the available data, so those dimensions of school life are not described here.

Union Chapel sits in the Kansas City portion of Platte County, an area that is part of the broader Kansas City metro's northern suburban zone. The housing market in the school's immediate area is elevated compared to the state average, reflected in home values that are well above what is typical for Missouri. Rents are also above the state median. The broader Kansas City metropolitan area is a major urban economy with a mix of healthcare, logistics, financial services, and corporate headquarters, and the Platte County side is generally a region of newer suburban residential development. The cost of housing in this part of the city is a factor families will want to weigh.

The Park Hill district itself is in a period of growth and facility expansion. The district opened the LEAD Innovation Studio, a separate high school program, in a new building in fall 2020, creating an additional high school pathway beyond the two traditional high schools. More directly relevant to Union Chapel families, the district is opening a new elementary school in August 2025. That new school will lead to changes in attendance boundaries across the district, which means that the specific area Union Chapel serves today may shift, and some families may find their child assigned to a different elementary school in the near future. The district's long-range planning documents cite enrollment growth as the driver of these expansions. This is a dynamic that matters for any family choosing a home now with school assignment in mind.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 46% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 48% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 43% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 52% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 52% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 48% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above 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 4Lower-income14%Higher-income70%55 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income6%Higher-income63%58 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income70%63 pp gap