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M. L. King Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

889^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

M. L. King Elementary is a public elementary school serving 746 students in grades PK-6 in Kansas City, Missouri, which is part of the Kansas City 33 school district. Unfortunately, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Missouri elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

M. L. King Elementary faces significant challenges, including extremely low academic performance, with only 2.5-9.8% of students proficient or better in math and 1.3-15.2% proficient or better in English Language Arts in the 2024-2025 school year. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 47-72.2% in recent years, and serves a student population that is 100% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating very high levels of poverty. Additionally, the school ranks in the bottom 15-30% of Missouri elementary schools for both African American students and students with disabilities.

Interestingly, the nearby Carver Dual Language School and Foreign Language Academy, which are also part of the Kansas City 33 district, perform significantly better than M. L. King Elementary across all metrics, suggesting that targeted interventions and a comprehensive approach to addressing the school's unique needs may be necessary to drive meaningful improvements.

768

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,948

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4848 Woodland Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64110-2138

(816) 418-2475

District: Kansas City 33

Students who attend M. L. King Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central Middle School
High:	Central High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

66.1%

Hispanic:

20.4%

White:

5.6%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2014 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (22% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Mathematics scores 38 pts below the Missouri average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg19%

Missouri avg42%

889^th of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Kansas City 33

305^th of 367Kansas City 33 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	4.3	889 of 900	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	875 of 906	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	858 of 898	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.1	879 of 908	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	852 of 901	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.3	1017 of 1052	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.7	1001 of 1032	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.0	860 of 865	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.5	1051 of 1058	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.5	1077 of 1089	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.3	1070 of 1108	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.9	1075 of 1085	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.8	1034 of 1088	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	177 of 190	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	151 of 191	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	134 of 185	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	157 of 184	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.5	108 of 163	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.3	205 of 250	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2019	12.0	273 of 302	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	247 of 251	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	9.3	629 of 638	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	597 of 625	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	567 of 611	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	502 of 532	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	519 of 574	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	876 of 907	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2019)10th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)7th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts43%~ state avg

Science9%-33 vs state

Mathematics5%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near M. L. King 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	MAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAP Science 5th Grade	MAP Science 8th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
M. L. King Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4848 Woodland Avenue	Kansas City	64110	Jackson County	Kansas City 33	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 418-2475	768	51	15.0	100.0%	43 (5.6%)	508 (66.1%)	157 (20.4%)	13 (1.7%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (0.9%)	37 (4.8%)	4.3	889^th of 900 public elementary schools	1.2%		5.6	875^th of 906 public elementary schools	3.4%	14	2.5	2.5	4.0	9.8			9.3		1.3	6.5	15.2	10.4		$17,948	$2,479	$15,469
Hogan Preparatory Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	2803 E 51st St	Kansas City	64130	Jackson County	Hogan Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 444-5010	391	36	10.8	100.0%	6 (1.5%)	345 (88.2%)	15 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	5	878^th of 900 public elementary schools	2.4%		3.6	898^th of 906 public elementary schools	0.9%	20	8.1	5.4	6.5				3.3		9.6	8.9	9.8	12.8		$20,357	$1,747	$18,611
Genesis School Inc.	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3800 E 44th St	Kansas City	64130	Jackson County	Genesis School Inc.	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 921-0775	180	19	9.4	100.0%	8 (4.4%)	152 (84.4%)	11 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	7.1	853^rd of 900 public elementary schools	5.2%		10.3	828^th of 906 public elementary schools	8.6%	25	14.3	15.9			24.2	8.0			14.4	5.3	14.4	10.0	27.7	$23,160	$1,253	$21,907
Carver Dual Language School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	4600 Elmwood Ave	Kansas City	64130	Jackson County	Kansas City 33	No	Yes	No	Yes	(816) 418-4925	468	33	14.0	100.0%	11 (2.4%)	94 (20.1%)	344 (73.5%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.8%)	25	698^th of 900 public elementary schools	22.4%		20.6	728^th of 906 public elementary schools	19.6%	30	39.9	14.4	28.4				22.7			25.0	22.7			$20,224	$2,485	$17,739
Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3400 Paseo Blvd	Kansas City	64109	Jackson County	Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 561-0114	401	33	12.1	100.0%	2 (0.5%)	376 (93.8%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.5%)	8.2	838^th of 900 public elementary schools	6.9%		5.5	878^th of 906 public elementary schools	3.1%	40	23.0	4.6	10.8	16.8	5.3	14.8	3.7	14.8	11.5	9.2	21.5	12.0	8.0	$14,927	$205	$14,722
Brookside Charter Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1815 East 63rd Street	Kansas City	64130	Jackson County	Brookside Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 531-2192	575	56	10.1	100.0%	12 (2.1%)	474 (82.4%)	49 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.6%)	18.7	745^th of 900 public elementary schools	17.2%		16.5	765^th of 906 public elementary schools	15.6%	20	21.4	23.8	16.0				22.0		28.9	21.5	26.7			$16,486	$1,691	$14,795
Allen Village Elementary Academy	Public, Charter	3-5	706 W 42nd St	Kansas City	64111	Jackson County	Allen Village	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 931-0177	87	8	11.0	89.7%	5 (5.7%)	18 (20.7%)	62 (71.3%)	2 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.7	825^th of 900 public elementary schools	8.3%		10.9	826^th of 906 public elementary schools	8.8%	1	8.4	20.0	5.7				16.8		16.7	16.0	19.6			$23,304	$482	$22,821
Allen Village Primary Academy	Public, Charter	K-2	706 W 42nd St.	Kansas City	64111	Jackson County	Allen Village	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 931-0177	66	4	15.2	80.3%	5 (7.6%)	25 (37.9%)	35 (53.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$24,923	$543	$24,380
Academie Lafayette Cherry Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	3421 Cherry St	Kansas City	64109	Jackson County	Academie Lafayette	Yes	No	No	Yes	(816) 888-7400	492	33	15.0	33.7%	257 (52.2%)	109 (22.2%)	57 (11.6%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (13.0%)	64.9	314^th of 900 public elementary schools	65.1%		74	205^th of 906 public elementary schools	77.4%	109	41.8	55.0	45.9				49.1		41.8	46.3	61.8			$12,936	$477	$12,460
Faxon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1320 E 32nd Terr	Kansas City	64109	Jackson County	Kansas City 33	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 418-6525	322	28	11.4	100.0%	21 (6.5%)	233 (72.4%)	53 (16.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	9 (2.8%)	6.3	864^th of 900 public elementary schools	4.0%		7.3	856^th of 906 public elementary schools	5.5%	8	12.0	11.2	9.6	11.5			3.9		16.4	9.9	14.0	7.3		$21,439	$3,080	$18,359

Frequently Asked Questions about M. L. King Elementary

What schools do graduates of M. L. King Elementary attend?

Students who attend M. L. King Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Middle School
High : Central High School

How many students attend M. L. King Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 768 students attended M. L. King Elementary.

What district is M. L. King Elementary in?

Kansas City 33

What is the racial makeup of M. L. King Elementary?

Students at M. L. King Elementary are 66% African American, 20% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is M. L. King Elementary a good school?

M. L. King Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.2% of Missouri elementary schools.

Rate M. L. King Elementary!

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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.