These are the best elementary schools around KC, according to Niche rankings
Where are the best elementary schools in the Kansas City area? Parents looking ahead for their current students or future kindergartners may want to look at these schools, according to a new ranking.
School and neighborhood ranking service and data aggregator Niche published its rankings for the best elementary schools for the 2026 school year, pulling information for schools around the country from dozens of sources and reviews from parents of current and former students.
The rankings were posted in September 2025, and many of the top schools are located in one school district. Niche’s rankings include private schools, and the top spot in the Kansas City area is claimed by one.
Here is a closer look at the best elementary schools in the Kansas City metro, and where other schools fall on the list.
KC-area private school ranks No. 1
The best elementary school in Kansas City is Pembroke Hill School, according to Niche. The private school also rankings No. 170 on Niche’s list of top K-12 private schools in the United States.
Pembroke Hill’s elementary school campus is at 400 W. 51st St., near Loose Park and The Country Club Plaza. The school received an overall A+ grade from Niche, with an A+ in the academic category.
The private school has a yearly tuition of $23,785 for kindergarten students and $25,535 for students in grades 1-5.
Another private school, The Barstow School, ranked as the sixth-best elementary school in the Kansas City area. The school, 11511 State Line Road, also received an A+ overall rating from Niche. Tuition at The Barstow School starts at $19,500 for kindergarten, $22,500 for grades 1-4 and $23,000 for 5th graders.
Kansas schools claim the rest of the top 10
Outside of Pembroke Hill School and The Barstow School, the top elementary schools in the Kansas City area all come from one school district: Blue Valley Unified School District.
Lakewood Elementary School, 14600 Lamar Ave., was the second-best in the metro and named the 175th-best public school in the U.S. Cedar Hill Elementary School, 9100 W. 165th St., was No. 3 on Niche’s KC-area rankings and No. 314 nationally. Both schools received A+ rankings from Niche.
Here’s how the rest of the top 10 looked:
- No. 4: Harmony Elementary School, 14140 Grant St., Overland Park
- No. 5: Cottonwood Point Elementary School, 10521 W. 129th St., Overland Park
- No. 7: Sunset Ridge Elementary School, 14901 England St., Overland Park
- No. 8: Morse Elementary School, 15201 Monrovia St., Overland Park
- No. 9: Mission Trail Elementary School, 13200 Mission Road, Leawood
- No. 10: Timber Creek Elementary School, 16451 Flint St., Overland Park
Where do Missouri schools rank?
The first school on the Missouri side featured on Niche’s rankings is James Walker Elementary School, 201 SE Sunnyside School Road in Blue Springs, coming in at No. 16. The school is a part of the Blue Springs R-IV School District and received an A grade from Niche.
The next school from Missouri comes in at No. 22, Franklin Smith Elementary School, 1609 SW Clark Road in Blue Springs. It’s also part of the Blue Springs R-IV School District and received an A grade from Niche.
Interested parents and visitors who only want to see how public schools in the Kansas City area rank can check out Niche’s list online.
