Barry Sch., Kansas City MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Barry Sch.

Barry Sch. is a closed middle school that was part of the Platte County R-III district in the northern portion of Kansas City, Missouri. It served grades five through eight, and its most recent year of operation appears to have been the 2022-23 school year, after which it ceased operations. The school's closure coincides with the district's opening of a new middle school campus, Platte Purchase Middle School, in fall 2023, a facility funded by a recent bond issue that also addressed other facility needs.

When Barry Sch. was open, state testing in math, English language arts, and science provides a snapshot of its academic profile. Math proficiency varied noticeably by grade. In the lower tested grades, a minority of students met state standards, while in the upper grades the share approached or reached roughly half of students tested. English language arts results showed a similar pattern of variation, with eighth graders performing more strongly than the earlier grades; in eighth grade, a majority of students scored at or above the proficient level. Science results were more consistent across grades five and eight, with a modest share of students achieving proficiency in each. These tests are the Missouri Assessment Program, and participation rates were not reported for any of the tested subjects or grades.

The district context matters for understanding Barry Sch.'s place. Platte County R-III has been investing heavily in its facilities. A no-tax-increase bond issue approved by voters in 2021 funded construction of Platte Purchase Middle School and a new maintenance facility, both completed in 2023. That bond addressed the district's highest-priority needs, but a community facility planning committee identified additional needs totaling a much larger sum, and the district anticipates a future bond issue to tackle them. For families who might have been zoned for Barry Sch., the opening of the new middle school likely changed attendance boundaries and building assignments.

No enrollment or demographic data was available for Barry Sch., so the size and composition of its student body are not known from the records here. Similarly, information on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education services, English learner populations, and student discipline was not reported. These gaps may reflect the school's closed status and the limitations of the data systems that captured its final year.

The school was located in the Northland area of Kansas City, within Platte County, a part of the city that has seen suburban-style residential development and growth. The broader Kansas City metropolitan area is a major urban center with a mix of commercial, industrial, and residential uses spread across a large footprint. Housing values in the school's immediate zip code area were above the state median at the time of available data. Rents followed a similar pattern. The national economic context at that time included a moderate unemployment rate and a cooling housing market.

For a parent or resident trying to understand the educational landscape in this part of the district, Barry Sch. represents a former building that has been replaced by newer facilities. The district's investment in a new middle school signals a commitment to modernizing its physical plant, but also means that any historical record of Barry Sch.'s performance is just that—historical. Families looking at this area today should focus on the current attendance boundaries and the school that now serves the Barry Sch. attendance zone, likely Platte Purchase Middle School or another adjacent school depending on the district's updated maps. The academic performance data from 2022-23, while the most recent available for Barry Sch., may not directly reflect the outcomes at the replacement school, which began operation under different conditions and in a new building.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 46% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 60% · ▼ 16 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 49% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 54% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 57% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 42% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 50% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 61% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 52% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median

This schoolPLATTE CO. R-III, 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-income48%Higher-income69%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income69%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income56%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income41%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income54%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income62%Higher-income71%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income60%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income43%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income49%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income58%28 pp gap