Blue Valley Schools claimed the No. 1 spot in Kansas for the second straight year in the 2027 Niche Best School Districts rankings, landing in the top 1% of districts nationwide.
The district, which serves 22,228 students across Overland Park and Leawood, also earned the No. 1 ranking for best teachers in Kansas, according to a district announcement published Thursday, Oct. 1. Blue Valley placed in the top 1% of best places to teach in Kansas, the district said on social media the same day.
Superintendent Gillian Chapman's district posted identical top marks in the 2026 Niche cycle, according to the 2025-26 annual report.
What drives the ranking
Niche bases its district rankings on state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality and millions of family and student reviews. The organization also draws data from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics.
One notable change this cycle: Niche dropped SAT and ACT scores from its methodology, citing a broader de-emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions.
Blue Valley by the numbers
The district's own metrics back up the recognition. Blue Valley posted a 96.2% graduation rate in 2025-26 and an average ACT composite of 22.8 in 2025-26. The Kansas state average is 19.2.
Seventy-four percent of the district's teaching staff hold a master's degree or higher. Eighty percent of graduates reach a post-secondary milestone within two years of graduation, a rate the district says exceeds all other Kansas districts and private schools with 10,000 or more students.
All five Blue Valley high schools placed in the top six in Kansas and the top 5% nationally in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools list. The five schools are Blue Valley High, Blue Valley North, Blue Valley Northwest, Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Southwest.
Other recent accolades
The Niche ranking adds to a string of recent honors. Forbes named Blue Valley one of the best employers in Kansas for the seventh consecutive year. Kansas City Magazine selected the district as Best Public School in its Best of KC 2025 edition.
Seventy percent of Blue Valley graduates earned a Market Value Asset, an industry-recognized credential, while still in high school, according to the annual report.
