William Southern Elementary School
Public elementary school in Independence, Missouri · Independence 30 School District · Grades Pre-K–5
William Southern Elementary School serves 458 students in grades Pre-K–5 in Independence (Jackson County). It is one of 29 schools in Independence 30 School District. By enrollment it is the 230th largest of 1,202 public elementary schools in Missouri (median 327 students). With 17.7 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Missouri elementary school (12.3).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,202 Missouri elementary schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 25.93 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Elementary |
| Grades | Pre-K–5 |
| District | Independence 30 School District |
| County | Jackson County |
| Area type | Suburb, large |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 291548000725 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Missouri
| This school | Independence 30 | Missouri elementary schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 458 | 14,272 | 327 |
| Students per teacher | 17.7 | 14.7 | 12.3 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 74.5% | 73.2% | 53.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 99% of Missouri elementary schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
William Southern Elementary School in context
Size
William Southern Elementary School is the 2nd largest of Independence 30 School District's 20 elementary schools; its 458 students are 3.2% of district enrollment. The 8 nearest elementary schools are a median 2.1 miles away and have a median of 398 students, so William Southern Elementary School is close to their typical size.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 5 with 83 students, and its smallest is pre-K with 40, against an average of 65 per grade. This year grade 5 has 32% more students than kindergarten (83 against 63). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate. It also enrolls 40 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
White students are the largest group, at 36.9% of enrollment, a lower share than across Independence 30 (45.5%). Black students are next, at 34.3%. Students from 6 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
74.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 73.2% across Independence 30 and a median of 53.6% for Missouri elementary schools. 36.5% are directly certified for free meals, meaning their families take part in programs such as SNAP or TANF, so no application was needed. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
William Southern Elementary School has 25.93 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 17.7 students per teacher. At the median Missouri elementary school ratio of 12.3, a school with 458 students would have about 37.2 teachers, so William Southern Elementary School has 11.3 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Missouri elementary schools (12.3).
Location
NCES classifies its location as suburb, large, which means it is in an urbanized area of 250,000 people or more, outside its principal city. The nearest other elementary school is Sycamore Hills Elementary School, 0.7 miles away in the same district. There are 27 elementary schools within 5 miles and 90 within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 36.9% |
| Black | 34.3% |
| Hispanic | 17.7% |
| Two or more races | 9% |
| Asian | 1.3% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.9% |
50.7% of students are girls and 49.3% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 40 |
| Kindergarten | 63 |
| Grade 1 | 66 |
| Grade 2 | 62 |
| Grade 3 | 72 |
| Grade 4 | 72 |
| Grade 5 | 83 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
4300 S Phelps Rd, Independence, MO 64055
Phone: (816)521-5475
Website: isdschools.org
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: William Southern Elementary School. Blue: the nearest elementary schools.
Nearby elementary schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Hills Elementary School | Independence 30 | 0.7 mi | 574 | 17.6 | 62.5% |
| John W. Luff Elementary School | Independence 30 | 1.5 mi | 362 | 14.7 | 73.5% |
| William Yates Elementary School | Blue Springs R-IV | 1.6 mi | 463 | 13.6 | 49.5% |
| Fleetridge Elementary School | Raytown C-2 | 2.0 mi | 355 | 14.5 | 59.7% |
| Glendale Elementary School | Independence 30 | 2.2 mi | 417 | 13.7 | 75.3% |
| Little Blue Elementary School | Raytown C-2 | 2.3 mi | 379 | 13.1 | 64.4% |
| Voy Spears Jr. Elementary School | Blue Springs R-IV | 2.3 mi | 546 | 15.5 | 13.7% |
| Three Trails Elementary School | Independence 30 | 2.6 mi | 328 | 14 | 84.5% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.