Corinth Elementary in Prairie Village earned an overall U.S. News score of 100 out of 100 score and the No. 1 ranking among Kansas elementary schools in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Three other schools in the Overland Park area also placed in the state's top five. Cottonwood Point Elementary in Overland Park ranked No. 2 with a 99.84 score. Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood came in at No. 3 with a 99.53. Timber Creek Elementary in Overland Park placed No. 5 with a 99.37.

All four schools outperformed their districts and the state in math and reading proficiency.

The rankings evaluated 635 Kansas elementary schools and nearly 47,000 elementary schools nationwide, according to U.S. News. The formula weighted four factors equally at 25% each: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half the formula assessed raw test scores. The other half factored in socioeconomic demographics.

Corinth leads in reading

At Corinth Elementary, 82% of students scored at or above the proficient level in reading and 77% in math, according to the school's U.S. News profile. The school ranked No. 1 statewide in reading proficiency and No. 8 (tie) in math proficiency.

Corinth serves 576 students in pre-K through sixth grade in the Shawnee Mission School District. Kasey Weishaar is the school's principal, according to the district's 2026-27 staff directory.

By comparison, 50% of Shawnee Mission elementary students tested at or above the proficient level in reading and 50% in math. Statewide, those figures were 35% for reading and 34% for math, according to U.S. News.

Overland Park, Leawood schools close behind

Cottonwood Point Elementary in Overland Park posted 78% math proficiency and 77% reading proficiency. The Blue Valley school earned "well above expectations" ratings in both math and reading performance. It serves 352 students in kindergarten through fifth grade with a 12-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood, also in the Blue Valley district, posted 77% proficiency in both math and reading. It serves 384 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Timber Creek Elementary in Overland Park led the state in math proficiency at No. 1, with 85% of students scoring at or above proficient. Its reading proficiency rate was 71%. The Blue Valley school serves 583 students in pre-K through fifth grade.

In the Blue Valley district overall, 64% of elementary students tested at or above proficient in both reading and math, according to U.S. News.

How the rankings work

U.S. News ranked only public schools because they participate in common statewide assessments that allow comparison, the publication said. The rankings drew on data from the Common Core of Data (2025), the Civil Rights Data Collection (2023-2024) and state assessment data from the EdFacts Initiative (2022-2023 and 2021-2022).

Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said in the U.S. News report that parents often lack good information about school quality. "Often, they don't have anything but reputation, which doesn't tell you about what the school contributes," Barnett said.

Top five Kansas elementary schools

  1. Corinth Elementary, Prairie Village (score: 100)
  2. Cottonwood Point Elementary, Overland Park (score: 99.84)
  3. Mission Trail Elementary, Leawood (score: 99.53)
  4. Westwood View Elementary, Westwood (score: not available)
  5. Timber Creek Elementary, Overland Park (score: 99.37)

Full rankings are available on the U.S. News Kansas elementary schools page.