BUCKNER ELEM.

Located at 25102 E. US 24 Highway, in INDEPENDENCE, Missouri, BUCKNER ELEM. is a reasonably sized elementary school that hosts 327 students (grades K through 4), part of FORT OSAGE R-I.

FORT OSAGE R-I comprises 9 schools with combined enrollment of 4,718 students; BUCKNER ELEM. is among them.

In terms of who attends, BUCKNER ELEM. records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (82%). Other groups include 8% multiracial, 8% Hispanic, 2% Black. By comparison, Jackson County as a whole is about 62% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.0:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Jackson County runs at roughly 60%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, BUCKNER ELEM. is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 50.4%; this one delivers 78.3%, a residual of +27.8 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Jackson County put median household income runs about $68,577, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. BUCKNER ELEM. is one of 244 public schools in Jackson County (combined enrollment of about 105,714 students).

The closest other public school is FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE, roughly 4.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), BUCKNER ELEM. ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 47.7%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at BUCKNER ELEM. has shrank 6%, going from 347 students in 2018 to 327 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 90% to 82% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 12.0:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.