Kansas City-area school districts get mixed-bag results in latest Missouri proficiency assessments

Park Hill and Blue Springs were among Missouri’s best-performing school districts while Kansas City Public Schools and Hickman Mills lagged far behind state averages, according to new proficiency data released on Monday.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released individual school-district scores under the Missouri Assessment Program, which tests third- through eighth-grade students in English, math, science and social studies. The MAP tests establish the percentage of test-takers who rank proficient or advanced in each subject area.

There were five local school districts that scored below state averages in all four subject areas. Those were KCPS, Raytown School District, Hickman Mills, Grandview School District and Center School District.

Suburban districts tended to fare better. In addition to Park Hill and Blue Springs, the Liberty and Lee’s Summit districts easily outpaced state averages.

Here’s a rundown of the state average in the MAP program and how local districts performed.

District                            English                    Math                  Science                    Social Studies
Missouri average            59.7                       45.2                     56.7                               63.4
Park Hill                           73.3                       62.7                     74.4                               80.2
Independence                 52.9                       38.4                     54.7                               68.8
North Kansas City          66.1                       53.4                     64.5                               69.3
Center                              51.4                       40.2                     39.7                               51.4
Hickman Mills                 33.2                       24.0                     27.3                               48.0
KCPS                               32.4                       22.0                     23.0                               38.6
Grandview                       53.9                       33.5                     49.2                               42.4
Liberty                             73.2                       58.5                     67.9                               79.8 
Lee’s Summit                  72.6                       55.2                     69.8                               79.1
Blue Springs                   77.7                       67.3                     79.3                               74.0
Raytown                          49.9                       29.9                     43.8                               58.7