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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
460
Elementary
DISTRICT 492 · STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BLUE SPRINGS R-IV·NCES 290531000084
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.
5020 NW VALLEY VIEW RD, BLUE SPRINGS, MO 64015 · (816) 874-3670 · Jackson County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL460 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 84% of Missouri public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Missouri public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
175 students
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 54%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 76 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 80 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 90 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 65 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (79).
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 52% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
59.6%
MO avg 44.9% . +7.1pp since 2021
Math
57.7%
MO avg 43.8% . +8.6pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 58 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 9 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 27.6% | 32.0% | 29.1% | 11.1% |
| Math | 29.6% | 28.1% | 25.7% | 16.5% |
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
MAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 59.6% | 57.7% |
| 2023-24 | 52.0% | 53.9% |
| 2022-23 | 50.5% | 50.4% |
| 2021-22 | 52.5% | 49.1% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
54.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.6%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.'s state test result (54.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. this school | 460 | 38.0% | 54.9% |
| FRANKLIN SMITH ELEM. BLUE SPRINGS | 401 | 41.6% | 61.4% |
| SUNNY POINTE ELEM. BLUE SPRINGS | 506 | 35.6% | 54.0% |
| LILLIAN SCHUMACHER ELEM. LIBERTY | 443 | 37.7% | 45.1% |
| PRAIRIE POINT ELEM. KANSAS CITY | 437 | 33.0% | 42.2% |
| PRAIRIE VIEW ELEM. LEE'S SUMMIT | 604 | 38.4% | 34.5% |
Matched among Missouri elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Jackson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.9% | #214 of 1,002 | #18 of 126 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.7% | #192 of 1,019 ▲ 68 | #13 of 126 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.6% | #160 of 1,018 ▲ 117 | #11 of 126 ▲ 16 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.9pp | #171 of 943 | #20 of 124 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 460 | #226 of 1,294 | #36 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #639 of 950 | #72 of 124 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.0% | #186 of 953 | #62 of 124 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 38.0% | #839 of 1,165 | #109 of 136 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.6% | #193 of 251 | #31 of 37 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
460
0 (0%) vs 2020
-29% since 1990-91, when it was 648
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 15.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 460 | 33.5 | 13.7:1 | 38% (175) |
| 2023-24 | 462 | 35.5 | 13.0:1 | 38% (175) |
| 2022-23 | 438 | 32.2 | 13.6:1 | 36% (159) |
| 2020-21 | 460 | 30 | 15.3:1 | 35% (162) |
| 2017-18 | 444 | 30.1 | 14.8:1 | 30% (133) |
| 2015-16 | 440 | 30 | 14.7:1 | 31% (136) |
| 2010-11 | 486 | 28 | 17.4:1 | 32% (154) |
| 2000-01 | 479 | 27 | 17.7:1 | 14% (66) |
| 1990-91 | 648 | 33 | 19.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for JOHN NOWLIN ELEM..
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (444 to 460); teachers up 11% (30.1 to 33.5).
About JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. runs as a medium-sized elementary school in BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri. It serves 460 students in kindergarten through 5. The average among elementary schools in Missouri is roughly 315 students; this school is 46% bigger than that.
The district, BLUE SPRINGS R-IV, operates 20 schools serving 14,657 students.
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. is 59% White by enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 15% Black, 12% multiracial, and 12% Hispanic. The White share in Jackson County as a whole is similar, at about 62%. Pick two students at random and there is a 60% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Federal data list 33.5 full-time-equivalent teachers at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. in 2024-25, for a ratio of 13.7:1. That is higher than the 12.4:1 average for elementary schools in Missouri. The lunch program counts 38% of students at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Across public schools in Jackson County, the average is 60%.
The allk12 Grade for JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. is A-. Compared with Missouri public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 84% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. falls in the middle 80% of Missouri schools: 54.9% actual against 45.6% predicted.
Federal survey data for Jackson County show that the median household income is $68,577, roughly 34% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 244 public schools in Jackson County, enrolling about 105,714 students in all.
The closest public school to JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. is PAUL KINDER MIDDLE SCHOOL, about 0.9 miles away. JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. ranks 4th on proficiency.
The federal government classifies JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.'s location as Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 460 in 2020-21, 460 in 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 15.3:1 to 13.7:1 over the same years.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
719,976
Census ACS
Median income
$68,577
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
244
105,714 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BLUE SPRINGS R-IV
- BLUE SPRINGS HIGHHigh · 2,429 students
- BLUE SPRINGS SOUTH HIGHHigh · 2,299 students
- PAUL KINDER MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 919 students
- DELTA WOODS MIDDLEMiddle · 831 students
- MORELAND RIDGE MIDDLEMiddle · 813 students
- BRITTANY HILL MIDDLEMiddle · 807 students
Other schools in BLUE SPRINGS
- BLUE SPRINGS HIGHHigh · 2,429 students
- BLUE SPRINGS SOUTH HIGHHigh · 2,299 students
- PAUL KINDER MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 919 students
- MORELAND RIDGE MIDDLEMiddle · 813 students
- BRITTANY HILL MIDDLEMiddle · 807 students
- CORDILL-MASON ELEM.Elementary · 681 students
Nearby schools
- PAUL KINDER MIDDLE SCHOOL0.9 mi · 919
- SUNNY POINTE ELEM.1.0 mi · 506
- BLUE SPRINGS HIGH1.9 mi · 2,429
- THOMAS J. ULTICAN ELEM.2.1 mi · 419
- FRANKLIN SMITH ELEM.2.8 mi · 401
- VOY SPEARS JR. ELEM.2.9 mi · 546
Frequently asked questions
About JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.What is the total enrollment at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.?
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. enrolls approximately 460 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. serve?
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.?
Approximately 13.7:1 students per teacher at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM..
What is the racial breakdown of students at JOHN NOWLIN ELEM.?
At JOHN NOWLIN ELEM., the student body is approximately 59% White, 12% Hispanic, 15% Black, 2% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. public or private?
JOHN NOWLIN ELEM. is a public K-12 school, overseen by BLUE SPRINGS R-IV.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.