Enrollment
263
Elementary
DISTRICT 316 · STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·INDEPENDENCE 30·NCES 291548003213
LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY
2020 QUAIL DRIVE, INDEPENDENCE, MO 64057 · (816) 521-5480 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL263 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.0:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
52%
137 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 54%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MO DVT (Growth) 2024-25 . Growth Percentile vs PeersEnglish Language Arts
44.8%
MO avg 49.5% . -7.3pp since 2023
Math
10.0%
MO avg 48.7% . -7.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the MO DVT (Growth), Missouri's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 10 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 50 and 49. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Source: MO DVT (Growth). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MO schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
26.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.3%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-24.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 50% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
263
-60 (-19%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
11.0:1
was 15.0:1
% White
60%
was 64%
% Hispanic
11%
was 11%
% Black
17%
was 10%
% Asian
2%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY
As a tight-knit elementary school in INDEPENDENCE, Missouri, LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY hosts 263 students from grades pre-K through 5, overseen by INDEPENDENCE 30.
Within INDEPENDENCE 30, which oversees 29 schools and 14,272 students, LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.
Demographically, LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY logs that the largest single group is White, at 60% of enrollment. The remainder reads as 17% Black, 11% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 2% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Jackson County as a whole.
In terms of school funding signals, On paper, LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.0:1. The state averages around 12.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 52% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
After controlling for student poverty, LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 50.3%; this one comes in at 26.2%, -24.1 points off the demographic line.
Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Jackson County put median household earnings sit near $68,577, about 34% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY is one of 244 public schools in Jackson County (combined enrollment of about 105,714 students).
The closest other public school is SPRING BRANCH ELEM., roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 50.1%.
The campus sits in a small-town setting.
Five-year trend. LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY's enrollment has declined 19% since 2018, when it stood at 323 (now 263). Over the same period, the Black share expanded from 10% to 17%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 11.0:1 today.
On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.
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 INDEPENDENCE 30
- TRUMAN HIGHHigh · 1,720 students
- WILLIAM CHRISMAN HIGHHigh · 1,417 students
- VAN HORN HIGHHigh · 1,067 students
- CLIFFORD H. NOWLIN MIDDLEMiddle · 902 students
- BRIDGER MIDDLEMiddle · 744 students
- PIONEER RIDGE MIDDLEMiddle · 731 students
Other schools in INDEPENDENCE
- TRUMAN HIGHHigh · 1,720 students
- FORT OSAGE HIGHHigh · 1,545 students
- WILLIAM CHRISMAN HIGHHigh · 1,417 students
- CLIFFORD H. NOWLIN MIDDLEMiddle · 902 students
- BRIDGER MIDDLEMiddle · 744 students
- PIONEER RIDGE MIDDLEMiddle · 731 students
Nearby schools
- SPRING BRANCH ELEM.0.8 mi · 278
- BRIDGER MIDDLE1.3 mi · 744
- BINGHAM MIDDLE1.3 mi · 730
- PIONEER RIDGE MIDDLE1.3 mi · 731
- BLACKBURN ELEM.1.8 mi · 363
- SUNSHINE CENTER2.2 mi · 106
Frequently asked questions
About LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY?
LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 263 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY serve?
LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 11.0:1 students per teacher at LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY.
What is the racial breakdown of students at LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY?
At LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY, the student body is approximately 60% White, 11% Hispanic, 17% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY public or private?
LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY is a public K-12 school, overseen by INDEPENDENCE 30.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.