Lee’s Summit R-7 students consistently score well above state and national norms on all tests, including the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Tests and ACT college-entrance test. On the ACT 2010 college entrance test, for example, the R-7 School District high schools’ composite score was 23.5, compared to 21.6 for the Missouri average and 21.0 for the national average.
The Lee’s Summit School District is fully accredited, the state’s highest ranking, and is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition, the school district is a winner of Missouri’s “Distinction in Performance” Award, and is one of a handful of districts statewide to achieve a perfect score each year for the past ten years.
Lee’s Summit R-7 was among 28 Missouri school districts receiving the "What Parents Want" national award in Spring 2010, offered by SchoolMatch.
Money magazine named Lee’s summit R-7 schools as 27th best in the nation in its 2010 annual “Best Places to Live” issue focusing on the nation’s top 100 small cities.
Approximately 85 percent of the district high school graduates are attending college, based on a six-month follow-up survey of 2009 grads.
The R-7 class of 2010 has been offered $19.8 million in college scholarships for the next four years.
All three R-7 School District high schools offer the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous curriculum offering student the opportunity to compete with high-achieving students worldwide. Only nine high schools in Missouri offer this program.
PTA volunteers donated well in excess of 50,000 hours to R-7 schools annually. In addition, many more hours were donated through other parent groups, districtwide teams and the Partners In Education.
Community parent and staff contributions to the district remain at a high level through the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, PTAs and other parent booster organizations. The Educational Foundation has raised close to $4-million toward construction of the new Great Beginnings Early Education Center while also raising additional money for the approximately 94 separate funds it manages. The capital campaign for Great Beginnings was also a first-place winner in the American School Board Journal’s annual Magna Awards Program.
The R-7 Kids Country before-and-after-school care program is a three-time winner of the Outstanding School Age Program in the state by the Missouri School Age Child Care Coalition. In fall 2010, the R-7 program was recognized by a national organization for its efforts to also serve students with special needs.
