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Elementary and secondary education in the Northland is a leading reason why the area is attractive to so many people. In an otherwise diverse area, residents can access a consistently excellent range of programs. Whether they live in one of the Northland’s urban neighborhoods or a rural, small-town setting, public schools here all achieve Missouri’s top, AAA ranking. This level of quality is found in districts as diverse as the North Kansas City School District with 17,003 students, and tiny Missouri City, with an enrollment of only 50 students in its lone elementary school. Clay County public schools comprise the Excelsior Springs, Kearney, Liberty, Missouri City, North Kansas City and Smithville districts. These schools listed a total enrollment, including elementary, middle, junior high and high schools, of 33,334 students in 2004. North Kansas City is the largest district in the county while the smaller Liberty School District proudly claims the distinction for best ACT results, with 52.2 percent of students scoring higher than the national average. This compares to the state-wide average of only 33 percent. Platte county schools comprise North Platte R-I, Park Hill, Platte R-III and West Platte R-II districts. Enrollment is smaller in the Platte County districts, at 13,534 students in 2004, but graduation and ACT statistics show an excellent system of public education. The Park Hill and North Platte R-I schools posted results of 44.2 percent and 42.6 percent respectively, for scores above the national average. The other two districts in the county also are well above the state averages, both in ACT scores and percentage of graduates going on to attend two- and four-year colleges. Smaller programs of excellent quality also are available to the north. Especially in Buchanan County, the St. Joseph School District is one of the best in Missouri with high student achievement and leading educators. In addition to public schools, the area’s private schools bring equal quality. The Northland Catholic Schools, which features St. Pius X High School and the Northland Lutheran School District, offer K-12, while several smaller programs focus on elementary education. The outstanding public school system in the Northland produces a strong student base for local colleges and universities. Students have many local choices, as well as those throughout metropolitan Kansas City. According to Census figures, 25 percent of Clay County’s and 33 percent of Platte County’s population 25 and older hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher. William Jewell College in Liberty is consistently ranked one of the best private liberal arts colleges in the nation and recently was cited by the Princeton Review as one of the 10 best college “values” in the country. With enrollment of more than 1,300 students, the college is respected in terms of academics, fine arts and athletics. Park University in Parkville also operates 38 satellite campuses across the United States and offers extensive online learning opportunities. In addition to the numerous four-year degree programs, Park University also offers graduate degrees. The Metropolitan Community College system offers two additional colleges for Northland students. Maple Woods Community College on Barry Road offers Associate’s in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees and Certificate degrees in almost 70 career areas. With 4,580 students registered for fall semester 2004, almost 25 percent of the student population was 25 or older. The Business & Technical College, also part of the Metropolitan Com-munity College system, is located at I-435 and Front Street. With fall 2004 enrollment of 538 students the college focuses on vocational training, offering dozens of degree and certificate programs. The college has a long list of corporate partners, from local to state employers, with whom they work to provide workforce development and technical training. Sanford-Brown College and the Colorado Technical University also maintain campuses in North Kansas City, while the University of Missouri at Kansas City operates a Northland program for advanced degrees. Combined with regional programs, residents here have abundant choice. |
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