Data as a Public Resource: SchoolSmartKC Data Summit
Student performance data in Kansas City belongs to the community closest to the outcomes. SchoolSmartKC shares the full picture each year, in public, with the people who can act on it. That’s what makes data a public resource rather than an internal report.
Most cities operate differently. Districts hold the numbers, state agencies report them, and families and communities rarely see growth, proficiency, and equity data side by side. When the people closest to students cannot see the data, they cannot align around it.
What Is the SchoolSmartKC Data Summit?
The SchoolSmartKC Data Summit is an annual community event where more than 300 educators, families, funders, business leaders, elected officials, and civic partners review student performance data across the Kansas City Public Education System (KCPES). The summit covers growth, proficiency, equity, and attendance across districts and charters, drawn from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The summit treats student data as a shared civic responsibility. Every participant sees the same numbers at the same time.
Why Does Kansas City Publish Student Data?
Three reasons drive this public approach.
- Accountability spreads when data is shared. A funder reviewing the same numbers as a principal asks different questions. A business leader looking at literacy rates alongside a parent sees a different opportunity to solve. Information shared openly and transparently, not with a finger to blame, rather a deeper understanding of where we can align as a community. Information held across a community produces aligned action.
- Student mobility makes private data unworkable. Roughly one in three Kansas City students change schools each year. A child’s progress only makes sense when the full system, not one building, can see, understand, and respond to the data. Resources don’t typically follow the student, thus the need for a cohesive system.
- Data builds trust. Kansas City is a model city for public school options, and that model only works when families have the information to make informed choices.
The Three Questions That Anchor Our Data Work
Every participant walks through the data with the same questions:
- Where is student growth showing up in KCPES?
- Where are the gaps and opportunities in student performance?
- What are we going to do differently because of what we see?
The third question is the one that changes outcomes. Information without action is a report. Information paired with commitment is a strategy.
What the 2026 Data Tells Us About Reading Proficiency
According to DESE, 21% of third graders across KCPES were reading at proficiency (grade level) in 2025. That number is the starting line, not the verdict.
Proficiency is a lagging indicator. Growth shows up first. Students move through performance bands before they reach proficiency, and the leading indicators in our partner schools are moving in the right direction. Increased rates of student growth and movement out of the lowest performance bands tell us the system is working before proficiency rates catch up.
When the community sees the same growth data the schools see, expectations stay grounded, focused, and informed while ambition stays high.
What Do Attendees Tell Us?
A KCPES school leader at the 2026 Data Summit shared, “Love seeing this data across the entire KCPES spectrum. Helped put the work of my school in perspective.”
Another attendee named the shared responsibility: “Schools and students can not achieve growth on their own. Community partners and non-profits that are education adjacent have a responsibility to utilize these data and support these efforts.”
Public data is how you build ownership.
The Standard We Hold Ourselves To
Our students do not need us to feel good about the data. They need us to act on it.
That standard shapes every SchoolSmartKC initiative. Real numbers, in public, with honest analysis, paired with concrete and measurable actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SchoolSmartKC Data Summit?
The SchoolSmartKC Data Summit is an annual community event where educators, families, funders, business leaders, and civic partners review student performance data across the Kansas City Public Education System. More than 300 community members attend each year.
Where does the student data come from?
Data is sourced from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), including the Missouri Assessment Program and the Missouri Comprehensive Data System for each school year.
What does KCPES stand for?
KCPES stands for the Kansas City Public Education System, which includes Kansas City Public Schools and more than 20 charter school systems serving Kansas City students.
Why does SchoolSmartKC make student data public?
Sharing data publicly aligns schools, families, funders, and civic partners around the same picture of student progress. Roughly one in three students change schools during the year, and only a citywide view of the data can support that mobility and student success.
How can I get involved?
There are multiple ways to engage: donate to support our initiatives, nominate exceptional educators for awards, volunteer for community engagement efforts, or partner with us if you represent a business or civic organization. Email us at partnerships@schoolsmartkc.org to discuss how your skills and resources can best support KC students.
