Charter Schools
Video: Charter Schools
Understanding Kansas City Charter Schools
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are equally open to all children who live in a geographic area. They have their own governance and operate independently of KCPS. They receive state funding and are open to all students who live in the KCPS boundaries. Many charter schools use a lottery to fill their limited number of seats.
They are accountable to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), their charter sponsors and, of course, to their children and families. In Kansas City, all charter schools are non-profit. There are no for-profit charter school operators in Kansas City.
Charter School Sponsors
In Missouri, sponsors are institutions or organizations that provide oversight to charter public schools. Each charter school has a contract (a “charter”) with a sponsor that spells out what the school will do, what it expects to achieve, how it will evaluate its success (or failure) and what the consequences are for not reaching goals. The sponsor’s job is to make sure that charter schools are complying with the law and also with their charter. The sponsor decides whether or not a school’s charter will be renewed. A school without a renewed charter will be closed.
Kansas City Public Schools
Kansas City Neighborhood Academy
Missouri Charter Public School Commission
Citizens of the World Kansas City
DeLaSalle Charter School
University of Central Missouri – Warrensburg
Academie Lafayette
Crossroads Charter School
Gordon Parks Elementary
Guadalupe Centers School
Hogan Preparatory Academy
Hope Leadership Academy
KC International Academy
Scuola Vita Nuova
University of Missouri – Columbia
Ewing Marion Kauffman
KIPP: Endeavor
University of Missouri – Kansas City
Academy for Integrated Arts
Allen Village Charter School
Brookside Charter School
Frontier Schools
Genesis School
Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy
Pathway Academy
University Academy