Best Public Schools in Overland Park, KS

The city of Overland Park, Kansas is home to 47 schools, including 30 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 8 high schools, all part of the highly ranked Shawnee Mission Public School District and Blue Valley School District. Several schools stand out as top performers, with Timber Creek Elementary School, Blue Valley West High, and Blue Valley Northwest High ranked among the best in the state.

The high schools in Overland Park have exceptional 4-year graduation rates around 89.5%, well above the state average, and correspondingly low dropout rates of only 1.3%. The Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school districts also significantly outperform the state averages on the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) tests for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with many Blue Valley schools having over 60% of students scoring proficient or better. However, there is a wide range in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced price lunch, from as low as 2-3% at some Blue Valley schools to over 80% at schools like Apache Elementary and Comanche Elementary.

Overall, the Overland Park schools in these two high-performing districts demonstrate strong academic outcomes, with many schools ranking among the best in the state. However, there are still some pockets of underperformance, particularly in schools serving higher-poverty student populations. The data highlights the stark performance differences between the top-ranked Blue Valley schools and some of the lower-performing Shawnee Mission schools, likely reflecting differences in funding, resources, and student demographics between the two districts.