In this section

Business & Industry

Climate & Environment

Cost of Living

Education

International Presence

Labor Force Changes

Local Government

National Ratings

Population Characteristics

Recreation & Culture

Transportation

Utilities

Wages

Workforce Characteristics

Create a report

Customized Report

Greater Kansas City Profile

Education

Public Elementary & Secondary Education

Greater Kansas City area residents are served by over 90 public school districts, with nearly 400,000 students. Thirteen of these districts, representing nearly 60 percent of area enrollments, are included in Expansion Management magazine’s annual educational quality ratings of nearly 2,800 school districts nationwide. Six of the area’s districts rated “gold medal,” the highest of the five Expansion Management composite cost-performance categories. Three were awarded “blue ribbon,” the next highest category. This concentration of high ranking districts means Kansas City offers an exceptional labor pool and is an indicator of the high quality of life enjoyed by its residents.

Distribution of Kansas City Area Public School Enrollment by District, 2009-2010

Source: Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, Kansas State Department of Education.

Institutions of Higher Learning
Four-Year Colleges and Universities	Location	Headcount Enrollment Fall 2009
Avila College	Kansas City, MO	1,893
Baker University	Baldwin City, KS	3,853
Benedictine College	Atchison, KS	1,877
Cleveland Chiropractic College	Overland Park, KS	543
DeVry Institute of Technology	Kansas City, MO	1,769
Haskell Indian Nations University	Lawrence, KS	1,059
Kansas City Art Institute	Kansas City, MO	690
Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences	Kansas City, MO	1,080
MidAmerica Nazarene University	Olathe, KS	1,778
Missouri Western State University	St. Joseph, MO	5,703
Ottawa University	Ottawa, KS	3,354
Park University	Parkville, MO	7,965
Rockhurst University	Kansas City, MO	3,029
University of Central Missouri	Warrensburg, MO	11,191
University of Kansas	Lawrence, Overland Park, & Kansas City, KS	30,005
University of Missouri-Kansas City	Kansas City, MO	14,799
University of Saint Mary	Leavenworth & Overland Park, KS	1,072
Washburn University	Topeka, KS	6,652
Webster University	Kansas City, MO	1,281
William Jewell College	Liberty, MO	1,083
Total		100,676
Two-Year Colleges
Donnelly College	Kansas City, KS	661
Johnson County Community College	Overland Park, KS	20,401
Kansas City KS Community College	Kansas City, KS	7,137
Metropolitan Community College
> Blue River Community College	Blue Springs & Independence, MO	3,131
> Metropolitan Community College- Business & Technology	Kansas City, MO	707
> Longview Community College	Kansas City, MO	6,292
> Maple Woods Community College	Kansas City, MO	4,880
> Penn Valley Community College	Kansas City, MO	4,656
Wentworth Military Academy & Junior College	Lexington, MO	940
Total		48,805

Source: Missouri Department of Higher Education, Kansas Board of Regents, and schools.

Graduate and Professional Schools

Fifteen institutions within the metro area offer graduate degrees in numerous disciplines. The University of Kansas and the University of Missouri also offer professional degrees in law, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy. Degrees in osteopathic medicine are offered by the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Other Area Resources

Kansas State University in Manhattan, Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan., the University of Missouri's Columbia campus, and Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville are some of the nearby major institutions from which area employers also recruit.

 

DEFINING THE GREATER KC METRO AREA

Kansas City is a Missouri/Kansas bi-state metropolitan area. All statistical references made to Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) include the counties of Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. The greater Kansas City area also includes the adjoining Lawrence, KS, St. Joseph, MO, and Topeka, KS MSAs, as well as the Atchison, KS, Chillicothe, MO, Ottawa, KS, and Warrensburg, MO areas.