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Pathfinder Elementary

Q: Is Pathfinder Elementary a good school?

Pathfinder Elementary ranks 522 nd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

522^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Missouri Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Missouri elementary schools

Summary

Pathfinder Elementary is a public elementary school in Kansas City, Missouri, serving 407 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Platte County R-III school district, which is ranked 49 out of 367 districts in the state.

Pathfinder Elementary has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from a high of 219 out of 1,052 Missouri elementary schools in 2018-2019 to a low of 657 out of 906 in 2023-2024. The school's performance has been particularly strong for its African American student population, ranking as high as 15 out of 163 Missouri elementary schools in 2020-2021. However, the school faces challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores, and a growing population of students from low-income families. Compared to the nearby Barry School, which is also part of the Platte County R-III district, Pathfinder Elementary's academic performance is generally lower, particularly in mathematics and science.

Despite these challenges, Pathfinder Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.9 to 13.8 over the past few years, which is lower than the nearby Barry School. Addressing the school's high chronic absenteeism rates, improving test scores, and supporting its growing population of students from low-income families will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes at Pathfinder Elementary.

409

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,423

Per pupil spending ?

40.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1951 NW 87th Terr
Kansas City, MO 64154-2608

(816) 436-6670

District: Platte County R-III

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.9%

African American:

24.7%

Hispanic:

14.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2017 → 42nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Missouri average (37% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2017

!Near the bottom of Platte County R-III's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg52%

Missouri avg42%

522^nd of 900

Missouri public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 34 pts since 2017

From top 24% (2017) to bottom 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Missouri Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Platte County R-III

49^th of 367Platte County R-III 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	44.2	522 of 900	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	657 of 906	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	52.1	433 of 898	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.5	432 of 908	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.3	301 of 901	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.1	219 of 1052	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	66.1	336 of 1045	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.6	250 of 1032	75.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	51 of 190	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	21 of 191	89.0%	★★★★☆
2021	76.4	15 of 163	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	70.8	48 of 250	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	79.4	27 of 243	88.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2018	54.8	40 of 105	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	35.7	420 of 638	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	525 of 625	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.0	239 of 611	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.2	718 of 907	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.4	446 of 887	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Missouri percentile	Rating
2025	48.5	346 of 666	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.0	520 of 668	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.1	308 of 673	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.5	334 of 675	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.4	195 of 691	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	84.9	87 of 917	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	64.2	291 of 898	67.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2025)73rd percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2018)62nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Missouri (2024-2025) ?

Science43%~ state avg

English Language Arts39%-4 vs state

Mathematics33%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pathfinder 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
Pathfinder Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1951 NW 87th Terr	Kansas City	64154	Platte County	Platte County R-III	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 436-6670	409	34	12.0	40.8%	196 (47.9%)	101 (24.7%)	58 (14.2%)	17 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.9%)	24 (5.9%)	44.2	522^nd of 900 public elementary schools	42.0%		29.9	657^th of 906 public elementary schools	27.5%	135	34.1	29.9	34.7	43.0	38.3	36.1	44.0	$14,423	$265	$14,158
Barry School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 NW 87th Terr	Kansas City	64154	Platte County	Platte County R-III	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(816) 436-9623	348	30	11.5	29.6%	174 (50.0%)	87 (25.0%)	37 (10.6%)	22 (6.3%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	22 (6.3%)	67.2	283^rd of 900 public elementary schools	68.6%		55.5	390^th of 906 public elementary schools	57.0%	107	43.4	39.3	50.9	60.7	46.6	55.1		$15,441	$123	$15,318
Gashland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	500 NE 83rd St	Kansas City	64118	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5100	218	14	15.7	41.7%	128 (58.7%)	18 (8.3%)	31 (14.2%)	5 (2.3%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	32 (14.7%)								(n/a)								$13,878	$536	$13,342
Tiffany Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	5301 NW Old Tiffany Springs Rd	Kansas City	64154	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	No	(816) 359-4400	484	36	13.3	29.8%	259 (53.5%)	108 (22.3%)	53 (11.0%)	20 (4.1%)	3 (0.6%)	14 (2.9%)	27 (5.6%)	44.4	519^th of 900 public elementary schools	42.3%		44.4	514^th of 906 public elementary schools	43.3%	5	34.4	26.3	38.8	40.1	50.5	27.5	41.4	$16,230	$312	$15,918
Linden West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7333 N Wyandotte St	Gladstone	64118	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 321-5130	501	33	15.3	62.7%	217 (43.3%)	110 (22.0%)	85 (17.0%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	65 (13.0%)	64.3	317^th of 900 public elementary schools	64.8%		42.6	533^rd of 906 public elementary schools	41.2%	216	44.5	56.2	43.0	41.5	45.1	49.9	52.0	$14,719	$531	$14,188
Clardy Elementary	Public	K-5	8100 N Troost	Kansas City	64118	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5060	477	29	16.4	42.1%	270 (56.6%)	53 (11.1%)	73 (15.3%)	14 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	64 (13.4%)	55	409^th of 900 public elementary schools	54.6%		62.6	321^st of 906 public elementary schools	64.6%	88	45.7	38.7	40.8	39.0	50.7	42.0	42.7	$14,541	$546	$13,995
Thomas B. Chinn Elementary	Public	K-5	7100 NW Chatham Rd	Kansas City	64151	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 359-4330	466	39	11.9	46.4%	198 (42.5%)	101 (21.7%)	81 (17.4%)	16 (3.4%)	3 (0.6%)	26 (5.6%)	41 (8.8%)	39.9	566^th of 900 public elementary schools	37.1%		55.5	391^st of 906 public elementary schools	56.8%	175	36.5	31.6	30.2	39.2	36.6	31.6	37.8	$15,766	$96	$15,670
Fox Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	545 NE 106 St	Kansas City	64155	Clay County	North Kansas City 74	No	No	No	No	(816) 321-5090	606	38	16.0	36.6%	323 (53.3%)	123 (20.3%)	84 (13.9%)	11 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	62 (10.2%)	83.7	126^th of 900 public elementary schools	86.0%		70.2	258^th of 906 public elementary schools	71.5%	132	74.9	49.4	64.9	59.1	61.8	52.0	65.6	$14,810	$539	$14,271
Alfred L. Renner Elementary	Public	K-5	7401 NW Barry Rd	Kansas City	64153	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 359-4350	403	32	12.7	43.7%	198 (49.1%)	68 (16.9%)	69 (17.1%)	15 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	33 (8.2%)	46.2	505^th of 900 public elementary schools	43.9%		43.5	524^th of 906 public elementary schools	42.2%	19	33.8	37.1	28.3	35.7	49.9	47.1	35.7	$16,323	$380	$15,943
Hopewell Elementary	Public	K-5	5801 NW Waukomis	Kansas City	64151	Platte County	Park Hill	No	No	No	Yes	(816) 359-4410	483	38	12.5	29.6%	270 (55.9%)	113 (23.4%)	56 (11.6%)	11 (2.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	66.1	300^th of 900 public elementary schools	66.7%		70.9	245^th of 906 public elementary schools	73.0%	55	32.5	56.4	51.7	51.7	38.7		59.0	$15,945	$89	$15,855

Frequently Asked Questions about Pathfinder Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Pathfinder Elementary?

Students at Pathfinder Elementary are 48% White, 25% African American, 14% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Pathfinder Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 409 students attended Pathfinder Elementary.

What district is Pathfinder Elementary in?

Platte County R-III

Is Pathfinder Elementary a good school?

Pathfinder Elementary ranks 522^nd of 900 Missouri elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Pathfinder Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pathfinder Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Platte County High

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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.