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.