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Which teacher or staff member at WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
458
Elementary
DISTRICT 316 · STATE 315
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·INDEPENDENCE 30·NCES 291548000725
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.
4300 S PHELPS RD, INDEPENDENCE, MO 64055 · (816) 521-5475 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL458 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 12.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
341 students
DISTRICT 75% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 40 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 63 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 66 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 62 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 83 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (63) is 24% smaller than its 5th grade class (83).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 69% · 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
47.0%
MO avg 44.9% . +18.3pp since 2021
Math
40.4%
MO avg 43.8% . +17.3pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 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 18 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 17 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 24.2% | 22.8% | 35.2% | 17.6% |
| Math | 19.0% | 21.4% | 27.6% | 31.9% |
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 | 47.0% | 40.4% |
| 2023-24 | 39.3% | 39.2% |
| 2022-23 | 41.9% | 30.2% |
| 2021-22 | 28.7% | 23.1% |
% 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
42.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.0%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% 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 WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.'s state test result (42.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. this school | 458 | 74.5% | 42.4% |
| BLUE RIDGE ELEM. COLUMBIA | 453 | 72.8% | 21.7% |
| GLENDALE ELEM. INDEPENDENCE | 417 | 75.3% | 42.6% |
| TOPPING ELEMENTARY KANSAS CITY | 293 | 72.7% | 36.2% |
| GRACEMOR ELEMENTARY KANSAS CITY | 684 | 71.1% | 33.1% |
| LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY KANSAS CITY | 379 | 64.4% | 29.2% |
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 WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Jackson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.4% | #475 of 1,002 | #41 of 126 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.4% | #547 of 1,019 ▲ 22 | #43 of 126 ▲ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #407 of 1,018 ▲ 194 | #38 of 126 ▲ 15 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +17.8pp | #20 of 943 | #3 of 124 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 458 | #233 of 1,294 | #37 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #929 of 950 | #124 of 124 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.7% | #31 of 953 | #7 of 124 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.5% | #292 of 1,165 | #62 of 136 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.5% | #504 of 684 | #76 of 92 |
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
458
+37 (+9%) vs 2020
-30% since 1990-91, when it was 652
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
was 16.2:1
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 | 458 | 25.9 | 17.7:1 | 74% (341) |
| 2023-24 | 452 | 25.7 | 17.6:1 | 75% (341) |
| 2022-23 | 430 | 22.9 | 18.8:1 | 73% (313) |
| 2020-21 | 421 | 26 | 16.2:1 | 67% (280) |
| 2017-18 | 495 | 30.3 | 16.4:1 | 68% (335) |
| 2015-16 | 523 | 35 | 14.9:1 | 63% (328) |
| 2010-11 | 544 | 30 | 18.1:1 | 57% (310) |
| 2000-01 | 466 | 29 | 16.1:1 | 24% (112) |
| 1990-91 | 652 | 31 | 21.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM..
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (495 to 458); teachers down 14% (30.3 to 25.9).
About WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in INDEPENDENCE, Missouri. Its 458 students are spread across pre-K through 5. The school's enrollment is 45% bigger than the 315 average for elementary schools in Missouri.
INDEPENDENCE 30 enrolls 14,272 students in 29 schools, including WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM..
White students are the largest group at WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM., with 37% of enrollment. The remaining shares are 34% Black, 18% Hispanic, and 9% multiracial. Jackson County as a whole is about 62% White, so the school's share is lower. The chance that two students picked at random at WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 71%.
Dividing enrollment by its 25.9 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 17.7:1. Among elementary schools in Missouri, the typical ratio is 12.4:1. Eligible students account for 74% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. Public schools in Jackson County average 60%.
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 42.4%, compared with a predicted 32.0%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Missouri schools on BeatsExpectations.
Jackson County has these Census figures: median household income is about $68,577, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 34% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. The public schools of Jackson County number 244 and enroll about 105,714.
SYCAMORE HILLS ELEM. is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools average 56.1% on proficiency, and WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is below that at 42.4%.
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
The number of students climbed from 421 to 458 over 4 years. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio rose from 16.2:1 to 17.7:1.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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
- SYCAMORE HILLS ELEM.0.7 mi · 574
- TRUMAN HIGH1.4 mi · 1,720
- JOHN W. LUFF ELEM.1.5 mi · 362
- WILLIAM YATES ELEM.1.6 mi · 463
- FLEETRIDGE ELEM.2.0 mi · 355
- HANTHORN EARLY EDUCATION2.2 mi · 180
Frequently asked questions
About WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.How many students attend WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.?
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. enrolls approximately 458 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. serve?
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. have?
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. employs 26 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.7:1.
How diverse is WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.?
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. reports a student body of 37% White, 18% Hispanic, 34% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. in?
WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is part of INDEPENDENCE 30.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.