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Pioneer Ridge Middle

Q: Is Pioneer Ridge Middle a good school?

Pioneer Ridge Middle ranks 263 rd of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

263^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Missouri Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Missouri middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Ridge Middle is a public middle school in Independence, Missouri, serving 817 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Independence 30 School District, which is ranked 238 out of 367 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pioneer Ridge Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri middle schools, with academic performance generally below the state and district averages. However, the school stands out for its strong performance on Algebra I End of Course exams, with 85.4% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, significantly higher than the state (45.4%) and district (31.8%) averages. The school also has a relatively strong Gifted and Talented program, ranking in the top third of Missouri middle schools in this area. Despite these bright spots, Pioneer Ridge Middle faces challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates and a large population of economically disadvantaged students.

Compared to nearby schools, Clifford H. Nowlin Middle and Bingham Middle, both also part of the Independence 30 School District, generally outperform Pioneer Ridge Middle in academic measures. However, the nearby Frontier School of Innovation-M, a public charter school, outperforms Pioneer Ridge Middle across most academic measures, despite serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

731

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,891

Per pupil spending ?

64.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1656 S Speck Rd
Independence, MO 64057-2064

(816) 521-5385

District: Independence 30

Students who attend Pioneer Ridge Middle usually attend:

High:

Truman High

Feeder schools for Pioneer Ridge Middle:

Elementary:	Blackburn Elementary
	John W. Luff Elementary
	Little Blue Elementary
	Sycamore Hills Elementary
	More...
	William Southern Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.2%

Hispanic:

19.7%

African American:

16.3%

See top rated Missouri middle schools

Compare Pioneer Ridge Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2023 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2025) from a 27th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg30%

Missouri avg41%

263^rd of 438

Missouri public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle 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	41.4	263 of 438	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	244 of 451	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.6	335 of 459	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	323 of 459	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.0	237 of 454	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	325 of 587	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.9	289 of 552	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.4	334 of 568	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.3	213 of 435	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.5	248 of 585	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	36.7	467 of 633	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.7	449 of 649	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.7	414 of 623	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.9	381 of 625	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.9	244 of 614	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.0	220 of 601	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.4	199 of 624	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.8	201 of 624	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.3	177 of 619	71.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	111 of 143	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.0	60 of 144	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.9	101 of 153	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	96 of 148	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.8	41 of 135	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	48.5	69 of 149	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.7	45 of 129	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2022	20.9	163 of 187	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	161 of 195	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.3	96 of 204	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.8	91 of 162	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	76 of 81	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.7	51 of 72	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	56 of 68	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	56 of 68	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	66.4	33 of 121	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	17 of 104	83.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	57 of 90	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.1	36 of 74	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.5	53 of 74	28.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	45 of 78	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.5	37 of 67	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	91 of 130	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.1	63 of 96	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	193 of 369	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.5	182 of 378	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.0	283 of 382	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	258 of 365	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.6	157 of 371	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.5	215 of 482	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	216 of 422	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	51.2	11 of 48	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	55.2	17 of 51	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	20 of 44	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.2	27 of 45	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.9	9 of 31	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	24.7	81 of 98	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.1	45 of 79	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	190 of 196	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	139 of 194	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	155 of 192	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	155 of 358	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	138 of 379	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.2	261 of 385	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.8	249 of 381	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.8	142 of 376	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.0	208 of 527	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	176 of 479	63.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)77th percentile+37 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2019)73rd percentile+28 vs school

White (2025)57th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)6th percentile-34 vs school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I85%+40 vs state

English Language Arts38%-3 vs state

Science37%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

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Schools Near Pioneer Ridge Middle

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)			MAP Algebra I (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 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAP Algebra I End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pioneer Ridge Middle	Public	7-8	1656 S Speck Rd	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5385	731	51	14.2	64.4%	374 (51.2%)	119 (16.3%)	144 (19.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	85 (11.6%)	41.4	263^rd of 438 public middle schools	40.0%		45.8	244^th of 451 public middle schools	45.9%	19		33.6	11.8	37.2		29.8	45.2	85.4	$13,891	$1,516	$12,375
Bingham Middle	Public	7-8	1716 S Speck Rd	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5490	730	50	14.6	76.4%	367 (50.3%)	114 (15.6%)	152 (20.8%)	4 (0.5%)	5 (0.7%)	16 (2.2%)	72 (9.9%)	35.2	297^th of 438 public middle schools	32.2%		27.8	330^th of 451 public middle schools	26.8%	33		31.5	13.7	35.7		30.7	34.5	90.4	$13,770	$1,640	$12,130
Bridger Middle	Public	6	18200 E M-78 Hwy	Independence	64057	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5375	744	47	15.6	72.3%	374 (50.3%)	116 (15.6%)	159 (21.4%)	8 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.3%)	75 (10.1%)								(n/a)	47.2				35.6				$12,948	$1,164	$11,784
Paul Kinder Middle School	Public	6-8	3930 South R D Mize Rd	Blue Springs	64015	Jackson County	Blue Springs R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 874-3560	919	57	16.1	38.8%	571 (62.1%)	128 (13.9%)	103 (11.2%)	21 (2.3%)	4 (0.4%)	8 (0.9%)	84 (9.1%)	69.7	109^th of 438 public middle schools	75.1%		75	88^th of 451 public middle schools	80.5%	21	53.5	48.7	31.2	46.7	48.4	42.4	52.6		$11,907	$580	$11,327
Clifford H. Nowlin Middle	Public	6-8	2800 S Hardy Ave	Independence	64052	Jackson County	Independence 30	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 521-5380	902	54	16.7	79.8%	316 (35.0%)	151 (16.7%)	328 (36.4%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	91 (10.1%)	21.4	355^th of 438 public middle schools	18.9%		22.4	362^nd of 451 public middle schools	19.7%	7	16.9	23.3	11.0	30.3	21.8	26.4	28.4	69.1	$12,761	$1,410	$11,352
Brittany Hill Middle	Public	6-8	2701 NW 1st St	Blue Springs	64014	Jackson County	Blue Springs R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 874-3470	807	57	14.1	31.5%	547 (67.8%)	94 (11.6%)	86 (10.7%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.4%)	68 (8.4%)	84.6	49^th of 438 public middle schools	88.8%		87.6	37^th of 451 public middle schools	91.8%	12	52.1	60.3	46.3	54.1	58.0	58.5	57.8	98.4	$14,015	$553	$13,463
Raytown Middle	Public	6-8	4900 Pittman Rd	Kansas City	64133	Jackson County	Raytown C-2	No	No	No	No	(816) 268-7360	667	46	14.5	66.0%	130 (19.5%)	320 (48.0%)	136 (20.4%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	70 (10.5%)	18.9	367^th of 438 public middle schools	16.2%		17.8	391^st of 451 public middle schools	13.3%	24	14.3	18.3	16.6	27.1	19.0	23.2	26.8	95.4	$15,524	$882	$14,642
Delta Woods Middle	Public	6-8	4401 NE Lakewood Way	Lees Summit	64064	Jackson County	Blue Springs R-IV	No	No	No	No	(816) 874-3580	831	54	15.3	22.3%	538 (64.7%)	133 (16.0%)	74 (8.9%)	34 (4.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.9%)	89.3	35^th of 438 public middle schools	92.0%		86.9	39^th of 451 public middle schools	91.4%	4	71.1	61.0	46.8	54.7	59.6	57.6	62.2	97.5	$12,824	$366	$12,457
Raytown Central Middle	Public	6-8	10601 E 59th St	Raytown	64133	Jackson County	Raytown C-2	No	No	No	No	(816) 268-7400	488	34	14.2	65.8%	112 (23.0%)	237 (48.6%)	80 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (11.7%)	18.8	368^th of 438 public middle schools	16.0%		22.9	360^th of 451 public middle schools	20.2%	8	18.6	27.3	8.1	21.6	17.9	31.3	20.7	68.4	$16,883	$1,005	$15,877
Frontier School Of Innovation-M	Public, Charter	6-8	1575 Universal Dr.	Kansas City	64120	Jackson County	Frontier Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 822-1331	307	35	8.7	82.1%	22 (7.2%)	39 (12.7%)	235 (76.5%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	64.3	143^rd of 438 public middle schools	67.4%		53.7	208^th of 451 public middle schools	53.9%	65	60.8	63.0	64.2	37.7	24.6	36.8	40.1		$22,984	$1,408	$21,575

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Ridge Middle

What high school do graduates of Pioneer Ridge Middle attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Ridge Middle usually go on to attend Truman High

What district is Pioneer Ridge Middle in?

Independence 30

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Ridge Middle?

Students at Pioneer Ridge Middle are 51% White, 20% Hispanic, 16% African American, 12% Two or more races.

Is Pioneer Ridge Middle a good school?

Pioneer Ridge Middle ranks 263^rd of 438 Missouri middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Ridge Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 731 students attended Pioneer Ridge Middle.

Rate Pioneer Ridge Middle!

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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.