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While Jackson County’s education is often identified with the somewhat beleaguered Kansas City School District, the region offers a wide range of high quality public, private and post-secondary educational choices. Regionally, Jackson County’s colleges and universities may offer the most dramatic options. Widely respected schools include the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Rockhurst University, Avila College and the Kansas City Art Institute. The largest of these is the University of Missouri at Kansas City, with several liberal arts programs and unique dental, legal and other specialized programs. The university is also increasingly linked to the Kansas City’s growing life sciences research, including the nearby Stower’s Institute.  The Metropolitan Community College system offers an excellent range of two-year and vocational programs, as well as credits easily transferred to four-year schools. DeVry Institute of Technology is known for its vocational programs. Also maintaining campuses in the county are Baker University, Central Missouri State University and Friends University. Jackson County offers a high level of health sciences education, including UMKC Medical School, Saint Luke’s College of Nursing, Research College of Nursing, the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and the Cleveland Chiropractic College. Jackson County’s public school districts include Blue Springs R-IV, Center 58, Fort Osage R-I, Grain Valley R-V, Grandview C-4, Hickman Mills C-1, Independence 30, Kansas City 33, Lee’s Summit R-VII, Lone Jack C-6, Oak Grove R-VI and Raytown C-2. The largest is the Kansas City School District, with more than 33,000 students. The Kansas City District may face the most visible challenges, but a number of its programs have high records of achievement. The nearby Center District, though much smaller, has an overall high ranking, including some of the top test scores in the area. Eastern Jackson County districts include Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Independence, Fort Osage, Grandview, Oak Grove and Grain Valley districts. Four of these have achieved especially high academic performance and have appeared on the Missouri Department of Education’s list of the top programs. These districts also compare favorably to state averages for attendance rate, graduation rate and percent of high school graduates going to college. |
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