Rising Star Elem

Set in Lenexa, Kansas, Rising Star Elem is a high-enrollment elementary-level community, run under Shawnee Mission Pub Sch. It instructs 473 students across grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 51% bigger than the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Rising Star Elem is one of 45 schools operated by Shawnee Mission Pub Sch, a district that hosts 26,330 students overall.

On demographics, Rising Star Elem reports that the most-represented group is White (50%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 21% Hispanic, 18% Black, 8% multiracial, 2% Asian. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 79%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Rising Star Elem higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 51% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Johnson County's rate of about 27%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Rising Star Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.7%; this one delivers 42.8%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Johnson County put median household earnings sit near $109,208, about 58% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 3%. Across Johnson County's 168 public schools (combined enrollment of about 93,598 students), Rising Star Elem is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Mill Creek Elem, roughly 0.9 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Rising Star Elem at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 42.9%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Five-year trend. Rising Star Elem's enrollment has shrank 17% since 2018, when it stood at 571 (now 473). Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 14.4:1 in 2025.

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