The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Science. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Barry School
Barry School is a regular public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Platte County R-III district, located in the northern reaches of Kansas City, Missouri. The school is part of a district that recently completed a major facility expansion, including a new middle school that opened in fall 2023, funded by a bond issue. This context matters because the district is actively modernizing its infrastructure, and Barry families feeding into those newer middle and high school buildings may see those benefits down the line.
The student body is small for a K-5 building, with an enrollment that is predominantly white. The largest racial or ethnic group is white students, followed by Black students and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and other backgrounds. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that indicates the school serves a mix of income levels but skews toward lower economic need compared to many public schools. The school is not a charter school and is not identified as a magnet school.
On state assessments, Barry’s performance is mixed and tells a story of unevenness by subject and grade. In math, proficiency rates hover around the lower half of tested students. Third grade posted a rate just below half proficient, fourth grade was lower still, and fifth grade climbed to just over half proficient. In English language arts, the picture is somewhat stronger. Fourth graders reached a rate above half proficient, and third graders were close to that mark. Fifth grade ELA results were suppressed, so a clear read on that grade is unavailable. Science is a bright spot: fifth graders, the only grade tested in that subject, reached a proficiency rate in the low-mid sixties, a notably higher result than the school’s math and ELA numbers for that same grade. Compared to other districts within Platte County, Barry’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint, meaning several other elementary schools in the county saw stronger aggregate results.
Because Barry serves only pre-K through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not face the same high-stakes accountability metrics as a secondary school. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and teacher staffing were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school or district directly about school climate and support structures.
The community is a large, car-dependent city with concentrated walkable pockets downtown and in arts and entertainment districts, but Barry is located in a residential area north of the Missouri River in Platte County. This part of Kansas City has a more suburban feel than the urban core. Housing in the surrounding zip code is notably expensive, with estimated home values well above the state average and rental costs above the national typical rent. The combination of relatively higher housing costs, a moderate share of economically disadvantaged students, and a school whose state test results are generally in the middle to lower tier for the county suggests a family moving into this attendance area would want to examine the specific grade-level performance they care about most, particularly in third and fourth grade math and reading. The district is in the middle of a facility renewal cycle, so families should also expect ongoing conversations about future bond issues and building priorities.
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