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Blackburn Elementary

Q: Is Blackburn Elementary a good school?

Blackburn Elementary ranks 423 rd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

423^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Blackburn Elementary is a public elementary school in Independence, Missouri, serving 365 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Independence 30 School District, which is ranked 238 out of 367 school districts in the state.

Blackburn Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages on Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests, particularly in Mathematics and English Language Arts. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 45.8% of Blackburn's 3rd graders scored proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 35.8% for the district and 41.4% for the state. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.9 to 13.7 students per teacher in recent years. However, Blackburn has a higher chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 31.7% to 33.9%, which is a concern that should be addressed.

Compared to nearby schools in the Independence 30 district, such as Randall Elementary and William Southern Elementary, Blackburn generally outperforms them in academic achievement. However, some other nearby schools, like Glendale Elementary and Sycamore Hills Elementary, also demonstrate strong academic performance in certain grade levels and subject areas.

363

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,040

Per pupil spending ?

45.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17302 E R D Mize Rd
Independence, MO 64057-1819

(816) 521-5395

District: Independence 30

Students who attend Blackburn Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bridger Middle
	Pioneer Ridge Middle
High:	Truman High

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.7%

African American:

16.3%

Hispanic:

13.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 43rd-percentile low (2016)

✓Above the Missouri median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg35%

Missouri avg42%

423^rd of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Independence 30

238^th of 367Independence 30 among Missouri districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	53.9	423 of 900	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	379 of 906	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	419 of 898	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.5	502 of 908	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.1	516 of 901	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.9	387 of 1052	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	463 of 1045	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.4	341 of 1032	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.4	496 of 865	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	66.8	327 of 1058	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	63.9	352 of 1089	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.9	408 of 1108	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.9	465 of 1085	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.5	304 of 1088	72.1%	★★★★☆
2010	72.2	252 of 1066	76.4%	★★★★☆
2009	72.7	224 of 1053	78.7%	★★★★☆
2008	71.3	229 of 1084	78.9%	★★★★☆
2007	78.9	139 of 1080	87.1%	★★★★☆
2006	79.9	130 of 1074	87.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	401 of 638	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	255 of 625	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.1	356 of 611	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	380 of 532	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.4	356 of 574	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	655 of 907	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	609 of 887	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	308 of 666	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	315 of 668	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.7	404 of 673	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	388 of 675	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.5	374 of 691	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	294 of 917	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.9	277 of 898	69.2%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)54th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Mathematics41%~ state avg

Science36%-6 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, October 18, 2015

Great school. My kids love it there. Close Quote

Schools Near Blackburn Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAP Mathematics (2025)			MAP Science (2025)	MAP English Language Arts (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Blackburn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17302 E R D Mize Rd	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5395	363	27	13.6	45.2%	206 (56.7%)	59 (16.3%)	50 (13.8%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	42 (11.6%)	53.9	423^rd of 900 public elementary schools	53.0%		57	379^th of 906 public elementary schools	58.2%	44	45.8	34.3	44.2	36.5	45.8	47.6	42.2	$13,040	$1,098	$11,942
Glendale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2611 S Lee's Summit Rd	Independence	64055	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5510	417	30	13.7	75.3%	194 (46.5%)	91 (21.8%)	90 (21.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	3 (0.7%)	34 (8.2%)	54.5	413^th of 900 public elementary schools	54.1%		54.6	401^st of 906 public elementary schools	55.7%	12	53.5	44.6	30.1		41.9	39.9	44.4	$12,728	$1,307	$11,421
William Yates Elementary	Public	K-5	3600 Davidson Rd	Independence	64055	Jackson County	Blue Springs R-IV	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 874-3740	463	34	13.6	49.5%	197 (42.5%)	85 (18.4%)	104 (22.5%)	8 (1.7%)	5 (1.1%)	14 (3.0%)	50 (10.8%)	92.6	46^th of 900 public elementary schools	94.9%		94.5	28^th of 906 public elementary schools	96.9%	18	75.2	77.6	68.5	61.4	72.6	67.9	60.4	$14,186	$782	$13,404
Little Blue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 Quail Drive	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5480	263	24	10.9	52.1%	157 (59.7%)	44 (16.7%)	29 (11.0%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	24 (9.1%)	38.8	583^rd of 900 public elementary schools	35.2%		41.3	549^th of 906 public elementary schools	39.4%	34	32.6	33.2	23.0		39.9		41.5	$16,630	$4,025	$12,605
Thomas Hart Benton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	429 S Leslie	Independence	64050	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5390	401	27	14.6	86.8%	178 (44.4%)	72 (18.0%)	107 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	41 (10.2%)	44	527^th of 900 public elementary schools	41.4%		42.1	540^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.4%	13	35.8	28.0	42.0	43.8	22.1		49.0	$12,580	$1,270	$11,309
Sycamore Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15208 E 39th St S	Independence	64055	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5465	574	33	17.6	62.5%	291 (50.7%)	62 (10.8%)	161 (28.0%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.9%)	49 (8.5%)	57.1	385^th of 900 public elementary schools	57.2%		52.1	431^st of 906 public elementary schools	52.4%	46	52.6	37.8	41.8	39.7	48.8	40.7	45.2	$11,723	$1,062	$10,660
Spring Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20404 E Truman Rd	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5455	278	23	11.8	70.5%	165 (59.4%)	35 (12.6%)	44 (15.8%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.2%)	44.7	515^th of 900 public elementary schools	42.8%		42.9	529^th of 906 public elementary schools	41.6%	14	42.8	36.7	21.5		45.7		40.4	$16,065	$3,168	$12,897
Randall Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	509 Jennings Rd	Independence	64056	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5445	284	22	12.6	85.2%	109 (38.4%)	64 (22.5%)	70 (24.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	33 (11.6%)	34.5	622^nd of 900 public elementary schools	30.9%		16.8	762^nd of 906 public elementary schools	15.9%	140	21.6	15.9	31.9	47.6	28.4	18.5	47.7	$15,241	$1,311	$13,930
William Southern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4300 S Phelps Rd	Independence	64055	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5475	458	26	17.6	74.5%	169 (36.9%)	157 (34.3%)	81 (17.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	41 (9.0%)	53.3	427^th of 900 public elementary schools	52.6%		51.5	438^th of 906 public elementary schools	51.7%	11	33.3	29.4	51.7	44.5	33.7	33.7	67.0	$13,831	$3,139	$10,692
Santa Fe Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 S Windsor St	Independence	64055	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5450	364	25	14.6	75.8%	192 (52.7%)	44 (12.1%)	80 (22.0%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.4%)	37 (10.2%)	42.1	542^nd of 900 public elementary schools	39.8%		45.6	502^nd of 906 public elementary schools	44.6%	40	35.2	35.1	31.7	43.1		38.8	34.0	$14,157	$1,153	$13,004

Frequently Asked Questions about Blackburn Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Blackburn Elementary?

Students at Blackburn Elementary are 57% White, 16% African American, 14% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Blackburn Elementary attend?

Students who attend Blackburn Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bridger Middle
Middle : Pioneer Ridge Middle
High : Truman High

How many students attend Blackburn Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 363 students attended Blackburn Elementary.

Is Blackburn Elementary a good school?

Blackburn Elementary ranks 423^rd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Blackburn Elementary in?

Independence 30

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.