FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE

FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE is a heavily attended 6-8 campus in INDEPENDENCE, Missouri, one of the schools within FORT OSAGE R-I. The school enrolls 713 students in grades 5 through 6. By comparison, Missouri's public schools average about 461 students each, so FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE sits 55% above that benchmark.

Within FORT OSAGE R-I, which oversees 9 schools and 4,718 students, FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE reports that 64% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school logs 15% Hispanic, 10% Black, 10% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Jackson County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE has 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.1:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. An estimated 58% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 50.2%; this one delivers 37.5%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Jackson County put median household earnings sit near $68,577, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Jackson County runs 244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 105,714 students), of which FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE is one.

The closest other public school is OSAGE TRAIL MIDDLE, roughly 0.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 48.1%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 10%: 793 students in 2018 compared to 713 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 75% to 64%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for FIRE PRAIRIE MIDDLE typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.