WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.

Set in INDEPENDENCE, Missouri, WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is a moderately sized elementary campus, operated by INDEPENDENCE 30. It enrolls 458 students across grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Missouri's public schools average about 315 students each, so WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. sits 45% above that benchmark.

Across the 29 schools in INDEPENDENCE 30 (14,272 students total), WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. shows that 37% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school shows 34% Black, 18% Hispanic, 9% multiracial. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 62%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.4:1, putting WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. higher than the state norm the norm. About 74% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Jackson County (around 60%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

After controlling for student poverty, WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.9%; this one delivers 67.9%.

Zooming out to the county, Jackson County reports that median household income runs about $68,577, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Jackson County runs 244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 105,714 students), of which WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. is one.

Nearest neighbor: SYCAMORE HILLS ELEM., around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM.. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 56.1%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 7%: 495 students in 2018 compared to 458 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 49% to 37% over that span. Class-load math has grew: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 17.7:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for WILLIAM SOUTHERN ELEM. typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.