Safe school district in Kansas City? (Independence, Lee's Summit: house, assessment, suburbs)

[clockwerk]

I realize that this question has been posted one way or another many times before, so I apologize to ask it yet again. The problem is that I consistently see suggestions that the person asking should move to *insert suburb here*. This would be fine, if I had any urge to live outside of the Kansas City city limit. I've lived all over the metro in both Kansas and Missouri, in suburbs to the North, East, and South and I've only ever really felt at home inside city limits. I used to attend the magnet schools when they were still up and running (one in Independence, another in Brookside, and another in Waldo) and those schools were half-way decent, and actually far more intellectually stimulating than the Grandview school district that I ended up in after the magnets stopped shipping kids in from the suburbs. On the other hand, my good friend attended both Westport High and Paseo, and she has warned me that that's too "far in".

So, on with my question. Are there any opinions on schools? I'm currently looking at Waldo/Brookside area since the living situation seems safer than the Westport or the Plaza area, but are the schools any better?

Thanks in advance!

[Rocket Dog]

Welcome to CD, Clockwerk! Unfortunately, the short answer to your question is "no." All the areas you have mentioned are part of the Kansas City School District, which has seen more than its share of problems in the past decade, and is still experiencing what seems to be a never-ending parade of school superintendents who last a year or so and then leave for greener pastures or who are fired by the school board. The entire school board in the KC district has been and is still a mess, so I would have to say that there is no one school in the district that is better than another. As for safe? If you are referring to KC schools south of the river, I would say there is no really safe area.

I understand that you don't want a school in the 'burbs, but the NKC School District and the Park Hill School District, north of the river, are both excellent school systems and much safer. Also Lee's Summit, Liberty, Blue Springs, and others I could name, but all are more or less suburbs of K.C.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Perhaps someone else will have a different take on the situation. (If anyone disagrees with my assessment, please share what you know with clockwerk.)

Good luck to you!

[northbound74]

Yeah, the schools are in the same district, unfortunately. If you go a little further south, you'll be in the Center district, which is supposed to be a bit better, I think. I'm not sure where the boundaries are, but it's somewhere around the Waldo area, and further south. Sandwiched between the Grandview, Hickman Mills, and KC districts.

[couragerqd]

We will be moving back into midtown as soon as possible and I hope to send my boys to Academie Lafayette which is a french immersion charter school (public). They are doing great on test scores, parents have to be involved and it is small. The last I checked they did not have a waiting list. Go to greatschools.net and you can look at all the test scores and statistics for any school in any area. There is also the Foreign Language Academy and they are magnet (public) not doing as well however I have a friend who's daughter has attended for a few years and she is thrilled with it. I am with you though get me out of the burbs and back to the city. Now if we could just get what we needed out of our house.... Maybe a couple more years for us.
Good Luck
Jen