Your Home’s Price and the Kansas City Missouri School District Accreditation Status

Do you think that the Kansas City school district’s recent loss of accreditation will affect home values in Brookside? This recent article by Dave Helling with the Kansas City Star has spurred a discussion amongst local realtors and has me wondering if anything has really truly changed with regards to buyers and families living in Brookside. From a 2010 Kansas City Star article on the reopening of Hale Cook elementary, school board member Derek Richey states, “There are thousands and thousands of kids who live in that southwest corridor, and only 15 percent of them go to district schools.” If this is true, then haven’t many residents of Brookside already rejected the district prior to this official loss of accreditation? I believe this is true; however, many fear that we will see more people leaving the district and less demand for the area especially from those relocating to Kansas City.

This new designation is very public, definitive, and word has spread like wildfire. While many were aware of challenges previously, now everyone knows that the district is facing great challenges and has lost accreditation. From my own very small unscientific sampling – my clients that are young, childless and married are choosing areas of Johnson County like Roeland Park and Prairie Village over Brookside. There they can find similar homes for similar prices and they won’t have to worry about school accreditation if they have a child. Currently, buying in Brookside seems like a less responsible, less practical choice for these middle-income, first time buyers who are planning to start a family.

On the flip side, Brookside has always appealed to people wanting to live in the city, in a vibrant community full of beautiful houses and yards but close to all the exciting and interesting things that only city living can provide. Brookside has and will continue to offer unique aspects which help foster its strong home values such as: a strong sense of community, the Brookside Art Fair, the St. Patrick’s Parade, close proximity to the Plaza, walkable living, shopping, the MAX bus route, the Trolley Track Trail, unique architecture, historic homes and buildings, and many more. I will keep a watch on values and share them with you here, but I do not expect to see a substantial change.

Photo Credit:
Kansas City Public Library Kansas City, Missouri; Missouri Valley Special Collections. The E. C. White Elementary School located at 11 Brookside Boulevard, 1950. (p.s. This website is a fantastic way to research your local area, architecture and history. It makes me proud to be a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, and makes me want to stay.)

Related Posts:
Research & Old Photos of my Home’s History – Brookside, Kansas City
Hale Cook, A Neighborhood Elementary School is Proposed for Brookside