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Kansas City Public Schools, Missouri

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Kansas City Public Schools
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Kansas City, Missouri
District details
Superintendent: Jennifer Collier
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Kansas City Public Schools is a school district in Missouri.


Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Jennifer Collier is the superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools. Collier was appointed interim superintendent in August 2022, and as full superintendent on February 22, 2023. Collier's previous career experience includes working as deputy superintendent, director of human relations, principal, and teacher.[1][2]

Past superintendents

  • Allan Tunis was the interim superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools from 2015 to 2016.[4]
  • R. Stephen Green was the superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools from 2011 to 2015. Green's previous career experience included working as the CEO of Kauffman Scholars, Inc. and as instructional superintendent for Region 3 of the New York City Board of Education.[5]

School board

The Kansas City Public Schools Board of Directors consists of seven members to four-year terms.[6] In 2019, the board switched from three at-large seats to two. The remaining five seats are elected by district.

The 2019 election was held with a new map including five sub-districts and two at-large seats. The board was previously composed of nine members.[7][8]

Elections

See also: Kansas City Public Schools, Missouri, elections

Members of the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education are elected to four-year terms.[9]

Four seats on the board were up for general election on April 8, 2025. The filing deadline was December 31, 2024.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The Kansas City Schools Board of Education maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[10]

“ The Kansas City School Board welcomes public comment during its regular business meeting to provide families and community members an opportunity to communicate their interests and concerns. The Board uses the public comment period as an opportunity to listen and receive information, but not to debate issues or enter into a question-and-answer session.
  • Individuals interested in providing public comment during the Board’s regular monthly business meeting should contact the Office of Board Services before 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting (normally the fourth Wednesday of the month) by calling (816) 418-7621 or vi a email at board@kcpublicschools.org. Alternatively, individuals may sign the “Speaking at the Board Meeting” sheet at the meeting before 6:15 p.m. on the day of the Business Meeting.
  • The Board Secretary will ask if there is a topic that you wish to address. This query allows the Board to make the agenda more transparent by adding that information to the agenda. Please include your name, address, phone number and topic.
  • The Board allows for up to 10 speakers per public comment period. The Board Chair will call on individuals who sign up to speak; substitutions are not permitted.
  • During the public comment portion of the meeting, the Board Chair will call each individual to the podium in the order in which they signed up.
    • Each speaker is limited to three (3) minutes.
    • Speakers may provide written information to support their commentary.
    • Comments must be acceptable for a business and family-friendly environment: Inappropriate language, gestures or personal attacks will not be tolerated.[11]
 ”

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[12]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $69,645,000 $4,941 23%
Local: $230,740,000 $16,372 75%
State: $7,213,000 $512 2%
Total: $307,598,000 $21,825
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $275,767,000 $19,566
Total Current Expenditures: $256,805,000 $18,220
Instructional Expenditures: $120,961,000 $8,582 44%
Student and Staff Support: $32,612,000 $2,313 12%
Administration: $41,127,000 $2,918 15%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $62,105,000 $4,406 23%
Total Capital Outlay: $10,378,000 $736
Construction: $5,272,000 $374
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $4,660,000 $330
Interest on Debt: $442,000 $31


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[13] $48,150 $94,498
2020-2021[14] $40,500 $85,829

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[15]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 12 21 7 12 <50 20-24 31
2018-2019 20 38 13 23 <50 30-34 43
2017-2018 20 35 12 25 <=20 30-34 40
2016-2017 22 30-34 15 27 <50 35-39 40
2015-2016 22 40-44 15 28 <=20 35-39 37
2014-2015 21 35-39 14 26 <=20 25-29 33
2013-2014 27 40-44 20 35 21-39 30-39 42
2012-2013 29 40-44 22 38 21-39 21-39 45
2011-2012 30 40-44 24 38 21-39 PS 45
2010-2011 26 40-44 21 32 21-39 PS 41

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 24 33 17 24 <50 40-44 51
2018-2019 24 36 17 26 <50 35-39 48
2017-2018 24 31 17 28 21-39 35-39 46
2016-2017 35 45-49 27 40 <50 50-54 56
2015-2016 34 42 27 40 40-59 45-49 54
2014-2015 32 40-44 26 37 40-59 40-44 48
2013-2014 27 30-34 23 29 40-59 40-49 43
2012-2013 29 30-34 25 31 40-59 40-59 47
2011-2012 27 30-34 25 27 40-59 PS 41
2010-2011 29 40-44 26 28 40-59 PS 44

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 75 85-89 76 65-69 PS >=80 70-74
2018-2019 71 80-89 70 70-74 PS >=50 70-74
2017-2018 71 90-94 72 60-64 PS >=50 75-79
2016-2017 72 80-89 75 60-64 PS >=50 70-74
2015-2016 69 80-89 69 65-69 PS PS 65-69
2014-2015 65 70-79 67 60-64 PS PS 55-59
2013-2014 63 70-79 69 45-49 PS PS 45-49
2012-2013 67 80-89 69 60-64 PS 65-69
2011-2012 63 70-79 66 60-64 PS 45-49
2010-2011 50 60-69 54 45-49 PS 30-34


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 14,694 1.9
2022-2023 14,413 2.2
2021-2022 14,094 -0.1
2020-2021 14,113 -7.3
2019-2020 15,147 -1.3
2018-2019 15,345 -0.2
2017-2018 15,370 -0.3
2016-2017 15,418 -2.0
2015-2016 15,724 2.1
2014-2015 15,386 1.0
2013-2014 15,230 -10.5
2012-2013 16,832 1.3
2011-2012 16,610 -4.3
2010-2011 17,326 -8.7
2009-2010 18,839 -5.0
2008-2009 19,788 -26.8
2007-2008 25,094 -7.5
2006-2007 26,980 -28.7
2005-2006 34,730 -8.0
2004-2005 37,524 -2.0
2003-2004 38,285 -0.6
2002-2003 38,521 -0.1
2001-2002 38,558 3.3
2000-2001 37,298 -2.2
1999-2000 38,135 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Kansas City Public Schools (%) Missouri K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.3 0.4
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 4.2 2.1
Black 50.1 15.3
Hispanic 30.9 8.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1.0 0.4
Two or More Races 2.9 5.5
White 10.6 67.9

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Kansas City Public Schools had 1,175.89 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 12.5.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 28.99
Kindergarten: 83.45
Elementary: 574.81
Secondary: 488.64
Total: 1,175.89

Kansas City Public Schools employed 6.70 district administrators and 66.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 6.70
District Administrative Support: 46.00
School Administrators: 66.00
School Administrative Support: 0.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 147.96
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 41.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 41.69
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 18.33
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 6.33
Librarians/Media Specialists: 14.50
Library/Media Support: 1.00
Student Support Services: 157.64
Other Support Services: 914.00


Schools

Kansas City Public Schools operates 33 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Ac Prep Elementary367PK-8
B. Banneker Elementary499PK-6
Border Star Montessori254PK-6
Carver Dual Language School455PK-6
Central High School5349-12
Central Middle School4107-8
Contract40PK-12
East High School1,0669-12
Faxon Elementary305PK-6
Foreign Language Academy629PK-8
Garfield Elementary483PK-6
George Melcher Elementary331PK-6
Gladstone Elementary403PK-6
Hale Cook Elementary354PK-6
Holliday Montessori348PK-6
James Elementary261PK-6
John T. Hartman Elementary381PK-6
Lincoln College Academy Middle5786-8
Lincoln College Prep.9589-12
Manual Career Tech. Ctr.09-12
M. L. King Elementary746PK-6
Northeast High6979-12
Northeast Middle School5577-8
Paseo Acad. Of Performing Arts6777-12
Phillis Wheatley Elementary360PK-6
Pitcher Elementary261PK-6
Primitivo Garcia Elementary425PK-6
Rogers Elementary599PK-6
Southeast High School5319-12
Success Academy0KG-12
Trailwoods Elementary350PK-6
Wendell Phillips Elementary307PK-6
Whittier Elementary528PK-6

Noteworthy events

2011-2019: School district accreditation classification changes

Prior to 2011, Kansas City Public Schools had been provisionally accredited for more than nine years, following a two-year period where it was unaccredited.[16]

In 2011, the school district was stripped of its accreditation by the Missouri Board of Education. The state board cited instability in district leadership and failure to improve academic performance in its decision. The district's unaccredited classification was made effective in January 2012.[16][17]

In 2014, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education voted unanimously to classify Kansas City Public Schools as provisionally accredited based on the district’s preliminary 2014 annual performance report and since the district scored in the provisional range for two years in a row.[17] In the 2014–2015 school year, the school district had 13 schools that met the state standard for full accreditation and eight schools met the standard for provisional accreditation.[18]

In 2019 at the state school board's monthly meeting, state board of education officials announced their recommendation that Kansas City Public Schools should remain provisionally accredited, citing the district's latest performance report.[19]

2015: Lawsuit regarding student protest in response to fatal shooting of Michael Brown settled

In November 2014, Governor Jay Nixon (D) gave a speech at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy. Students protested the fatal shooting of Michael Brown during the speech by refusing to sit down. In response to the protests, school officials placed the participating students in a Saturday detention. The following month, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the school district, claiming that the students' right to free speech had been violated. The school claimed that students were given detention because they did not sit during the speech, not for exercising their right to free speech. In 2015, the school district and the ACLU settled the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri Judge Dean Whipple dismissed the case.[20]

Contact information

Kansas City Public Schools seal.jpg
Kansas City Public Schools
2901 Troost Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64109
Phone: 816-418-7000


About school boards

Education legislation in Missouri

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Missouri School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 KCUR, "Kansas City Public Schools superintendent resigns months after district wins accreditation," June 9, 2022
  2. ↑ KCUR, "Kansas City Public Schools names 'homegrown' educator Jennifer Collier as next superintendent," February 22, 2023
  3. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "Superintendent," accessed April 19, 2021
  4. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "Transition," archived July 16, 2015
  5. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "Superintendent: Transition News," archived May 25, 2015
  6. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "Board of Directors," accessed April 19, 2021
  7. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "About the Board of Directors," archived July 29, 2013
  8. ↑ KCUR 89.3, "Why New Election Maps Could Mean Changes Ahead For Kansas City Public Schools," May 9, 2018
  9. ↑ Missouri School Boards Association, "School Board Candidates," accessed February 23, 2021
  10. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "Public Comment Procedures for Monthly Business Meetings," revised February 26, 2020
  11. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  12. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
  13. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "2024-2025 Proposed Teacher Salary Schedule," accessed April 17, 2025
  14. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "2020-2021 Teacher Salary Schedule," accessed April 19, 2021
  15. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 The New York Times, "Kansas City, Mo., School District Loses Its Accreditation," September 20, 2011
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, "Kansas City Public Schools Receives Provisional Accreditation," August 6, 2014
  18. ↑ Kansas City Public Schools, "History of KCPS: State accreditation," accessed April 19, 2021
  19. ↑ National Public Radio, KCUR 89.3, "Kansas City Public Schools Misses Full Accreditation, Faces Fallout From Fake Attendance Numbers," December 3, 2019
  20. ↑ KBIA: Mid-Missouri Public Radio, "Kansas City Public Schools Settles ACLU Suit," March 2, 2015
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