Why ODS?

 

Our Mission

Oakhill Day School is a community where students are challenged, known, valued, and inspired to be their best self.

Our Background

  • Founded in 1947 by Wanda Lee Kalsu
  • Coed, Non-parochial Independent Day School
  • Accreditations & Affiliations: ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States), NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), AMLE (Association of Middle Level Education), NCA (North Central Accreditation), NBOA (National Business Officers Association), Gladstone Chamber of Commerce, Northland Chamber of Commerce, Best of the Northland 2020

Our Vision

Our vision is to inspire through scholarship, achieved by empowering compassionate learners to contribute through adaptability, resilience, and service.

Our Core Values 

  • We encourage students to embrace their social responsibility through the development of strong moral values and self-discipline
  • We encourage critical thinking skills in all students so they will love the process and end result of learning
  • We support students in reaching their personal best in physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development
  • We encourage flexibility in curriculum development and teaching approaches in order to fit the makeup of each classroom and each child
  • We value respect for all people - students, staff, families, our community, and our larger world
  • We value learning and we know that making mistakes is part of the learning process of preparing for the real world

Our Student Body

  • 316 students from 18-Months - 12th Grade

  • Student-faculty ratio: 6:1 Pretoddler (18-Month); 8:1 Toddler (age 2-3); 9:1 Preschool and Prekindergarten; 15:1 Kindergarten; 18:1 First-Eighth Grade; 15:1 Upper School

Our Academics

Early Childhood (18-months thru Prekindergarten)
  • Grades 18-Month – Toddler (age 2-3) include both half and full-day options
  • Foreign language instruction begins in Toddler
  • Assessments to measure student academic, socio-emotional milestones
  • Each Early Childhood classroom has access to technology and library
Lower School (Kindergarten thru Third Grade)
  • PE is five days a week beginning in Kindergarten
  • Readers and Writers Workshop
  • Introduction to Lab Sciences beginning in Kindergarten
  • 1 to 1 iPads in Grades 1 - 3, Classroom iPads in Kindergarten
  • Coding curriculum begins in Techbrary
Intermediate Division (Fourth and Fifth Grade)
  • Designed to support the transition into Middle School
  • 1 to 1 iPad Program
  • Opportunity to sample electives
  • Direct instruction of organization and study skills

  • ERB testing outcomes - 3rd-8th grade (Benchmark is 23% - Above average)

    • Verbal Reasoning: 64%

    • Auditory Comprehension: 78%

    • Vocabulary: 74%

    • Quantitative Reasoning: 65%

    • Mathematics 1 & 2: 62%

    • Reading Comprehension: 58%
    • Writing Mechanics: 60%
    • Writing Concepts & Skills: 63%
    • Science: Average 4 points higher than norm
Middle School (Sixth Grade thru Eighth Grade)
  • 1 to 1 iPad Program
  • Full offering of electives and clubs
  • Middle School students have the opportunity to participate in experiential learning travel
  • Average PreACT Score: 22 (out of 30) 
  • 65% of Oakhill 8th graders scored in the top 1/3 on the PreACT
  • 61% scored a 22 or higher on the PreACT
Upper School (Ninth Grade thru Twelfth Grade)
  • Building from the ground up, now enrolling for 9th Grade in 2023!
  • Continuation of fast paced academics from Oakhill teachers
  • Student career workshops
  • Mentorships/internships for all students to provide lifelong network/connections
  • Student driven clubs and classes
  • Academic support from full Oakhill Academic Success team
  • Opportunity for experiential travel

Our Faculty, Leadership, and Support Staff

  • 13 Member Board of Trustees comprised of parents and members of the community-at-large

  • 52 Full-time teaching faculty
  • 1 Full-time Nurse, 1 Wellness (mental health) Counselor, and 1 Learning Specialist on Staff for additional student support
  • Full time kitchen staff on both campuses
  • Full time Campus Safety personnel

Our Diversity

  • Racial – 15.64% Self-reported minority students
  • Economic – 19% of students on financial assistance
  • Geographic – Students from five counties, 7 school districts, and 29 zip codes

Tuition, Assistance, and Scholarships

  • $310,000 in financial assistance awarded in 2021-2022 school year
  • Any family may apply for assistance
  • Oakhill utilizes FACTS (Financial Assistance for School Tuition) for the entry, processing, and calculation of financial information used by The Financial Assistance Committee to determine need and recommend award amounts
  • 5 Merit Scholarships are given annually to qualifying students

Our Athletics Program

  • 82% of Middle School students participate in sports programming
  • Grades 4-8 can participate in competitive Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Girls and Boys Basketball, Track and Field
  • Panthers on the Prowl (POP) Club sports offered for students in grades Pretoddler - 8
  • Member of the Parochial League of Kansas City (PLKC)
  • Opportunity for athletics in the Upper School

Our Facilities

  • 7.93 Acre Campus
  • VR Equipment, 3D Printing equipped Maker Spaces, and School Network Recording Studio accessible to all students
  • 2 full service libraries
  • State of the art science labs in South Campus Building
  • Full-service commercial kitchen
  • Community garden with 20 raised beds, and two additional green/garden spaces
  • 120ft. x 90ft. – 8U regulation soccer field
  • Attached gymnasium with a full-size court for basketball and volleyball, two sets of side goals to accommodate multiple half-court games, climbing wall, and movable bleachers that hold approximately 350 spectators
  • 75 solar panels among other additional environmental improvements including drinking bottle fillers, designated compost and recycling areas, lighting and low flow plumbing upgrades, water cistern system and rain barrels
  • On-campus water quality education trail and rain garden

  • Installed hand sanitizer stations

  • Touchless faucets and soap dispensers for public restrooms

  • Merv13 filters in HVAC units for improved air quality

  • Access and use of the Gladstone Community Center facilities in Upper School
  • Centrally located in the heart of Gladstone, Missouri neighboring shops, restaurants, City Hall and Public Safety

Our Lifeskills (Character Education)

We challenge the Oakhill community to embrace social responsibility through the understanding and modeling of our Lifeskills through community connections: 

  • Resilience - patience, perseverance, flexibility, grit, present, mindfulness
  • Compassion - friendship, caring, empathy, kindness, sense of humor, positive attitude
  • Service to Others - citizenship, cooperation, stewardship, respect, considerate, helpfulness
  • Responsibility - organization, self-control, common sense, accountability, self-discipline
  • Effort and Initiative - problem solving, determination, motivation, self-management accountability, follow-through 
  • Trustworthiness - honesty, courage, loyalty, reliability, integrity, humility, forgiveness, fairness
  • Respect - tolerance, manners, considerate, openness, conflict management, listening

Our Alumni

  • 100% college acceptance
  • 56% are employed at local companies including Cerner, North Kansas City Hospital, and the Federal Reserve Bank
  • 38% attend graduate school
  • Alumni attend universities including Duke, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, Michigan State, Pepperdine, and Vanderbilt
  • Alumni pursue career-based and military education at institutions such as DCT Hotel & Business Management in Switzerland, The International Institute of Culinary Arts, St. Luke's College of Health Sciences, and West Point