The Best Schools in Kansas City

Niche released its 2025 rankings for best schools across the metro. Plus: local beer awards, lunch at Fox and Pearl, and Operation BBQ Relief.

October 16, 2024

Blue Valley North High School

Online publication Niche recently released its 2025 Best Schools list. Here’s where Kansas City-area schools and districts landed:

Kansas: KC-area schools/districts on the Kansas side of the State Line fared well. The Blue Valley Unified School District was named the #1 school district in Kansas, with Blue Valley North being named the #1 public high school in the state. Lakewood Elementary (Overland Park) took the top spot as the best public elementary school in Kansas.
Missouri: In Missouri, Lee’s Summit R-VII School district was the highest ranked in the metro, coming in at #5. The only individual schools to rank in the top ten were both private: The Barstow School (#2) and Pembroke Hill School (#3).

See the full list of best schools and districts in the Kansas City area HERE.

Fox and Pearl

Westside neighborhood favorite Fox and Pearl is now serving lunch Thursday through Saturday.

Lunch Date: Beginning this Friday (10/18), Fox and Pearl will be open from 11 to 2 for lunch, followed by an extended happy hour from 2 to 6. The official menu will be released soon and will feature seasonal salads, sides, sandwiches, and sweets.
On Fire: Fox and Pearl has gained national attention since opening in 2019. The Bistro was named among the Best New Restaurants in America by Esquire in 2020, and Chef Vaughn Good was named a James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2020.

Ready to visit for lunch? Take 15% off your lunch order now through December 28th. Just tell them you saw it in KC Daily!

Alma Mader Brewing

Two local beers were honored at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO, this past weekend.

Winning Brews: Kansas City’s Alma Mader Brewing took home a silver medal in the West Coast IPA category for its Pacific Portal beer. The other local honoree came via a collaboration between KC Bier Co. and home brewers Mike and Stephanie Butler. The Piwo Grodziskie won gold in the Pro-Am Competition.
State of Beer: St. Joseph-based River Bluff Brewing won gold in the Fruit Wheat Beer category for their Yankee Doodle Shandy. River Bluff does have a Kansas City location at 201 Main St. in the River Market. The only other winner from the state of Missouri was Piney River Brewing Co.’s (Bucyrus, MO) Old Tom Porter.

See all the winners from the 2024 Great American Beer Festival HERE.

Operation BBQ Relief

Kansas City-based Operation BBQ Relief has been serving meals across southern states following hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Saucy Relief: The group has been serving hot barbecue meals to those affected by the recent hurricanes in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. They have served over 600,000 meals since September and will remain in the South throughout October.
Food for Good: Operation BBQ Relief was founded in 2011 in response to the destructive tornado in Joplin, MO. Now they’ve provided over 11 million meals across the globe following natural disasters.

See where Operation BBQ Relief has served by checking out their Deployment Map.

🔓 Hello History: The National WWI Museum and Memorial is hosting the 1924 Time Capsule Unveiling TODAY at 10:30 am. You can join online to view 100 years of history!
🌭 Hot Dog!: The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to the Wonderscope Children’s Museum tomorrow (10/17) from 10-2. Get photos with the famous wiener on wheels and enter some exciting giveaways with your admission to the museum!
🏒 On Ice, On TV: KSMO-TV has partnered with the Kansas City Mavericks to televise 14 games this upcoming season. The first game is set for October 19th against the Wichita Thunder.
🍣 Hot Spot: NOKA is becoming the restaurant of choice for Kansas City celebrities. After hosting a birthday party for Brittany Mahomes in August, Taylor Swift threw Travis Kelce a birthday party at the Martini Corner restaurant this past week.
🍦 On Shelves Now: The Golden Scoop is now selling its ice cream at the Price Chopper at 151st and Metcalf. Stop in and grab a pint today to support their mission!
🚀 Take Off: The holidays are coming, so let us help you reach new customers in Kansas City before they get here! Learn about our sponsorship opportunities to showcase your business with thousands of readers each weekday morning.