Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in INDEPENDENCE 30

This page covers 20 elementary schools in INDEPENDENCE 30. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

20
Schools Ranked
Missouri
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 20
1
rank
SPRING BRANCH ELEM.
Grades PK–05250 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.1:1)
54
/100
Student:Teacher
11.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
65%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
BLACKBURN ELEM.
Grades PK–05372 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.9:1)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
12.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
44%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
LITTLE BLUE ELEMENTARY
Grades PK–05295 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
52
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
RANDALL ELEM.
Grades PK–05260 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.4:1)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
12.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
88%
High economic need
5
rank
JOHN W. LUFF ELEM.
Grades PK–05354 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
15.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
64%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
THOMAS HART BENTON ELEM.
Grades PK–05397 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
14.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
7
rank
BRYANT ELEM.
Grades PK–05235 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
16.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
8
rank
CASSELL PARK ELEMENTARY
Grades PK–05375 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1)
48
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
9
rank
FAIRMOUNT ELEM.
Grades PK–05312 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
16.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
10
rank
GLENDALE ELEM.
Grades PK–05458 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
47
/100
Student:Teacher
16.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,029
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
10 more elementary schools in INDEPENDENCE 30 not shown here.
View all schools in INDEPENDENCE 30
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
20
Elementary Schools
31
Total Schools
54
#1 Score
47
Avg Score
StateMissouri →
District profileINDEPENDENCE 30 →
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
SPRING BRANCH ELEM.
Score: 54/100
Other School Levels
Compare INDEPENDENCE 30 with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.