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Elementary Enrollment

The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District has established a clear, consistent process to review elementary enrollment each year and plan for the future.

Starting in 2027, the district will utilize an elementary enrollment review process recommended by the Elementary Enrollment Process Action Team charged with developing a long-term strategic approach for how the district should respond when elementary buildings are considered too small or too full.

How The Process Works:

Starting in 2027, the district will follow a four-step process to review elementary enrollment and determine next steps.

Step 1: Enrollment/Capacity Review

Each year (typically January or February), the district will review school enrollment and building capacity. The review will identify schools that are:

  • Above 90% capacity (getting full)
  • Below 65% capacity (under-enrolled)

This step identifies which schools may need to be discussed. No decisions are made at this stage.

Step 2: Student Minimum

The district will also review whether a school is, or is projected to be, below 200 students.

  • If a school falls below this level, it is considered a more urgent situation.
  • When a school does not meet the student minimum of 200 students, the school may move more quickly into planning and decision-making (Action/Implement) stages.

Step 3: Timeline for Response

Based on Steps 1 and 2, each school identified based on capacity or student minimum criteria is placed into one of the following stages:

  • Monitor: A potential concern is identified. The district continues to watch enrollment trends. No additional action is taken.
  • Action: The district notifies the impacted school community. Possible solutions are explored/discussed. Families and staff have opportunities to provide input. This ideally happens at least one year before any proposed changes.
  • Implement: A decision has been made. Changes will take place the following school year.

Schools that are not being monitored or discussed because their building enrollment/capacity do not reach any thresholds stated above will have No Designation.

This step ensures there is a slow, deliberate path from awareness to action, including for communciation and collecting community input.

Step 4: Potential Action

Before any school is moved to the "Action" stage, the district will incorporate multiple factors in decision-making, including:

  • Student experience
  • District & board priorities
  • Curriculum
  • Architect information
  • Financial

This step ensures decisions are thoughtful, and encompass broad data.

What to Expect Right Now:

  • This process has not yet been applied; no schools have been reviewed or categorized at this time
  • The first annual enrollment review will take place in early 2027.
  • The 2027 review year will focus on monitoring only.
  • No schools will move into the Action stage during the first year of implementation.
  • The earliest any school could be considered for Action would be 2028.

Frequently Asked Questions