Jefferson School

Jefferson School is a primary school of moderately sized scale in Independence, Kansas, one of the schools within Independence, teacheing 356 students in grades 3 through 5.

Across the 5 schools in Independence (1,629 students total), Jefferson School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Jefferson School records that the largest single group is White, at 64% of enrollment. The remainder comes out to 16% multiracial, 14% Hispanic, 3% Black. By comparison, Montgomery County as a whole is about 78% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.7:1. The state averages about 13.2:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 82% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Montgomery County's rate of about 70%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Jefferson School ranks in the top 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 22.8%; Jefferson School posts 44.7%, +21.9 points above that line.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Montgomery County shows the typical household earns roughly $55,697 per year, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. In all, Montgomery County runs 14 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,736 students), of which Jefferson School is one.

Eisenhower Elem is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Jefferson School ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 32.4%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Looking at the recent track record. Jefferson School's enrollment has edged down 39% since 2018, when it stood at 579 (now 356). Over the same period, the White share declined from 75% to 64%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.6:1 in 2018 to 13.7:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Jefferson School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.