Photo: Brylie at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Shawnee’s public schools outscore 87% of Kansas districts
On the state math tests, 42% of Shawnee’s students scored proficient, above the Kansas average (29%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Shawnee, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Kansas, not nationally.
From Kansas state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Shawnee’s schools, in brief
Above the state on tests
Reading proficiency is 46% and math 42% across both districts in spring 2022, against 32% and 29% statewide; 87% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
De Soto Unified School District 232 spends $12,922 per student and Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified $13,332, against $14,966 across Kansas (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Choice beyond the district
Maranatha Christian Academy (private), Sacred Heart School (private), St. Joseph Catholic School (private), Good Shepherd School (private), Hope Lutheran School (private) and Midland Adventist Academy (private) are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Shawnee’s grade
A: better than 87% of Kansas school districts, #15 of 151 Kansas towns. Test scores are above the Kansas average; graduation is below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Shawnee, with each school’s own grade.
7th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Hocker Grove Middle
Grades 7–8 · 714 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Monticello Trails Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 655 students · 13:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Hocker Grove Middle
Grades 7–8 · 714 students · 13:1 students per teacher
Monticello Trails Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 655 students · 13:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Shawnee Mission Northwest High
Grades 9–12 · 1,599 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Mill Valley High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,432 students · 16:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Shawnee Mission Northwest High
Grades 9–12 · 1,599 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Mill Valley High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,432 students · 16:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Shawnee Mission Northwest High
Grades 9–12 · 1,599 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Mill Valley High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,432 students · 16:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Shawnee · depends on your address
Shawnee Mission Northwest High
Grades 9–12 · 1,599 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Mill Valley High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,432 students · 16:1 students per teacher
Shawnee runs its own schools through grade 12 (De Soto Unified School District 232). From grade PK, students attend the Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified School District, shared with Fairway, Lake Quivira, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Westwood and Westwood Hills. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Shawnee
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Shawnee vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Kansas towns that share Shawnee’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | A | De Soto Unified School District 232 PK–12 · Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified PK–12 |
| Lenexa | A− | Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified PK–12 · Olathe Unified School District 233 PK–12 |
| Lake Quivira | A− | Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified PK–12 · Turner Unified School District 202 PK–12 |
| Bonner Springs | C | Bonner Springs Unified School District 204 |
| Merriam | A− | Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified |
| Edwardsville | C | Bonner Springs Unified School District 204 |
| Kansas City | D− | Kansas City Unified School District 500 PK–12 · Piper-Kansas City Unified School District 203 PK–12 |
| Lexington | A | De Soto Unified School District 232 |
| De Soto | A | De Soto Unified School District 232 |
3 of the 8 neighbors share Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified with Shawnee for grades PK–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Shawnee
22 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Kansas’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Shawnee’s schools
Are Shawnee’s schools good?
By Kansas’s own tests, yes: the public schools Shawnee children attend outscore 87% of Kansas’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade, #15 of 151 Kansas towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 85%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Shawnee in?
Two districts: De Soto Unified School District 232 runs grades PK–12, and Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified School District runs grades PK–12, shared with Fairway, Lake Quivira, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Westwood and Westwood Hills.
Where do Shawnee kids go to high school?
One of 2 high schools, depending on your address: Shawnee Mission Northwest High and Mill Valley High School.
What is Shawnee’s graduation rate?
87% of the class of 2023 in Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified School District graduated in four years, against 88% across Kansas.
How much does Shawnee spend per student?
$12,922 in De Soto Unified School District 232 and $13,332 in Shawnee Mission Public Schools Unified School District (FY2024), against $14,966 across Kansas. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Shawnee?
Yes: Maranatha Christian Academy (religious, grades K–12, 550 students), Sacred Heart School (Catholic, grades K–8, 394 students), St. Joseph Catholic School (Catholic, grades K–8, 380 students), Good Shepherd School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 359 students), Hope Lutheran School (religious, grades PK–8, 186 students) and Midland Adventist Academy (religious, grades K–12, 127 students).
Parents talk
What Shawnee families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Shawnee → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Kansas. Stars are from neighbors.