Best high schools in the Kansas City metro area

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.

To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.

Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.

Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.

With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Kansas City metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.

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#25. Mill Valley High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: De Soto Unified School District, KS
- Enrollment: 1,355 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#24. The Lutheran High School of Kansas City

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 110 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#23. Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Overland Park, KS
- Enrollment: 917 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#22. Lincoln College Preparatory Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Kansas City Public Schools, MO
- Enrollment: 897 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#21. Lee's Summit North High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lee's Summit R-VII School District, MO
- Enrollment: 2,007 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#20. Shawnee Mission South High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Shawnee Mission School District, KS
- Enrollment: 1,586 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#19. Lee's Summit West High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lee's Summit R-VII School District, MO
- Enrollment: 1,992 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#18. Whitefield Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 255 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#17. Olathe Northwest High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olathe Public Schools, KS
- Enrollment: 1,952 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#16. Lee's Summit Senior High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lee's Summit R-VII School District, MO
- Enrollment: 1,920 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#15. Shawnee Mission Northwest High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Shawnee Mission School District, KS
- Enrollment: 1,626 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#14. Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Overland Park, KS
- Enrollment: 200 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#13. Sumner Academy of Arts & Science

- School type: Public School
- Location: Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, KS
- Enrollment: 1,102 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#12. Olathe North High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olathe Public Schools, KS
- Enrollment: 2,230 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#11. Blue Valley Southwest High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park), KS
- Enrollment: 1,014 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#10. Shawnee Mission East High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Shawnee Mission School District, KS
- Enrollment: 1,697 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#9. St. Teresa's Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 570 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#8. Rockhurst High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 938 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#7. Blue Valley Northwest High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park), KS
- Enrollment: 1,344 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#6. Blue Valley High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park), KS
- Enrollment: 1,412 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#5. Notre Dame de Sion High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 312 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#4. Blue Valley West High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park), KS
- Enrollment: 1,514 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#3. Blue Valley North High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park), KS
- Enrollment: 1,414 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#2. Pembroke Hill School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Enrollment: 1,194 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+