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Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus is a K-5 French Immersion charter school located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. Children are bussed to Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus from all over the city. -
Students need little direction to go about their day. They hold one another accountable to the values the school teaches them and ask questions when needed. -
These students help take items from the auditorium stage to their classroom. This school community treats every student like a capable and valued member. -
Here a third grade teacher has taught a money lesson in French with notes in English as well. -
Students learn from the very beginning of their time at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus to take their learning very seriously. Not only are they mastering a second language, they also are learning core content as well. -
Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus has a full time social worker and a full time Registered Nurse on staff to support students physically and emotionally throughout the day. Pictures of students enjoying school adorn the walls. -
These kindergarteners are getting ready to review days of the week and numbers in French. Whole group practice and fun focused community building are features of lower elementary instruction. -
Here first grade students work together on mastering French vocabulary words. -
In lower grades, teachers use fun to motivate students to learn. Here are students taking a quick dance break before getting back to work. -
Students are also responsible for their belongings. In the upper grades, students each get a hook and a cubby to store their books, notebooks and papers. -
In upper grades, lecture and note-taking are features of instruction. Teachers depend on students to be responsible for their learning with supports provided as needed. -
At Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus, sometimes classroom support comes in the form of the Assistant Principal. Here M. Jean-Claude Diatta helps second graders with math problems. -
Teachers also sit with students in small groups to provide targeted support to students who need it. Can you spot the teacher here? -
Students and teachers work together at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus. In the upper grades, a traditional education approach is taken with kids having a workbook for each core subject area. -
Here are the teacher-created character traits that students learn each month at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus. -
At Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus kids have character assemblies where students who have exhibited the school’s character traits are honored and also those who have made progress with their behavior overall. This is in line with their Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) discipline system that uses positive interventions to change student behaviors. -
There is also a large fenced in play area as well. Students get recess twice daily for 20 minutes and teachers can give them more time if needed. -
Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus has a large blacktop where students run and play organized games when gym class moves outside or their during recess time. -
In PE class, students practice gymnastics, tumbling and salsa dance in addition to learning social and team building skills through their play. This class too is conducted entirely in French for all learners. -
In music class, M. Nadal plays the guitar and has students sing along in French. He uses tennis balls to help kindergarteners understand rhythm and teaches older students to write their own music. -
Art even covers the cafeteria which was painted by a former parent. Some students bring their lunch from home and others buy one here in the cafeteria. The staff makes sure that kids who need a lunch have one. -
Here students were working on different textures in their artwork. -
Artwork covers every hallway at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus. Here kids have created masks like the ones their art teacher saw on her recent trip to Asia as a Kauffman Foundation fellow. -
New families submit a family photo and are featured in the front hallway. Families can also serve as host families for international interns who work at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus. -
Teachers at Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus are from all over the world. This map has little tags with each teacher’s name and a red string connecting their name to their home country. -
Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus is a local school with a global influence. They believe that for a child to be truly educated they must have good character, academically and socially. -
Children are only admitted in kindergarten, but may enroll later if they already speak French. They are immersed in the French language from their very first day. -
Academie Lafayette-Cherry Campus wants all students and families to feel welcomed into their international community. Principal Heather Royce (on the right), Mme. Diane Balagna (on the left), and the rest of the team insist on it.
Académie Lafayette – Cherry St. Campus (PreK-5)
Académie Lafayette – Cherry St. Campus
School Leader(s)
Heather Royce, Principal Elimane Mbengue, Head of School- NO Tuition
- Availability for 2022-2023
- Transportation provided
- Before and After-Care Available
- Participating SchoolAppKC School
Quick Facts
Our Mission
Our mission is to educate the children of Kansas City to become globally minded, locally active, critical thinkers through immersion in world languages and cultures.
About
Additional Information: Academie Lafayette offers a total French immersion program. The regular school curriculum is taught entirely in French.Points of Pride
- Academie Lafayette has the highest MAP scores in the state of Missouri.
- Teachers from this school come from over 23 different countries across the world!
- All children will graduate with fluency in 3 languages, French, English, and a third language of choice, Spanish or Mandarin.
School Hours
- School Hours: 8:15 am - 3:45 pm
- Before Care Hours Start: 8:00 am
- After Care Hours End: 6:00 pm
School Details
- Year Established: 1999
- Total Enrollment: 475
- Affiliation: Charter
- School Type: Charter
Charter Sponsor
- Saint Louis University
Tuition
- Tuition: NO Tuition
Our Demographics
Receive Special Ed Services
English Language Learners
Programs and Features
Specialized Programs
- IB
- Language Immersion
Arts Programs
- Drama + Theater
- Literature
Sports Programs
- Cross Country (Boys)
- Cross Country (Girls)
- Indoor Track (Boys)
- Indoor Track (Girls)
Clubs + Activities
- Culinary Arts
- Robotics
Family Engagement
- Classroom Volunteers
- Evening Family Events
- Family Appreciation Events
- Field Trip Chaperone
- Parent Book Clubs
- Parent Communication App
- Parent-Community Association
- Parent-Teacher Association
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Schoolwide Volunteers
Application Process
Application Details
Although many schools have application deadlines, most continue to accept applications for available seats on an ongoing basis.
- Application Open: November 12, 2022
- Application Close: March 1, 2023
- Kindergarten Cutoff: August 31
- Residence: Students must live within KCPS boundaries.
How to Apply
Academie Lafayette is one of the Kansas City charter schools working together to simplify their initial application process into one easy 8-question form – SchoolAppKC – that you can fill out on any electronic device.
*Note: If our school does not have space for your child, you may choose to remain on their waitlist.
*Note: Students without prior French experience are only accepted in Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 9th grade.
Admission Preferences
Siblings , Employee
Student Performance
Standardized Test Results
English
Math
Why It Matters
Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests are scored (or graded) according to four achievement levels: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The number shown here is the percentage of students who scored Proficient or Advanced. When comparing scores between years, please remember that the test Missouri gives has changed several times.
Please note that private schools are not required to participate in these exams.
In 2019, the average English score in Missouri was 48.7%; the average Math score was 41.9%, source
Attendance Rate 90/90
Why It Matters
Schools strive to have at least 90% of their students achieve a 90% attendance rate because kids learn best when they’re in school.
In 2019, 87.3% of Missouri students were in attendance at least 90% of the time, source.
Third Grade Reading Scores
Why It Matters
Third grade is the important time when kids switch from learning to read to reading to learn and is an important benchmark for a student’s educational development.
In 2019, the average 3rd grade reading score in Missouri was 48.7%, source
Student Growth
English Language Arts
On Track
Why It Matters
This data determines if individual students, compared to their peers, are making achievement gains over time in English Language Arts.
There are three categories possible: Floor (minimum), On Track (doing just fine), and Exceeding (outperforming their peers).
Mathematics
On Track
Why It Matters
This data determines if individual students, compared to their peers, are making achievement gains over time in Mathematics.
There are three categories possible: Floor (minimum), On Track (doing just fine), and Exceeding (outperforming their peers).
Parent Perspective
KaMille Washington, Academie Lafayette Parent
My name is KaMille Washington and my daughter and I joined the Academie Lafayette Family in 2013. I did some research and looked up the benefits of children going to a foreign language full immersion school. I then specifically looked at the test scores of Academie Lafayette and I was very impressed with how well they did in comparison to other Missouri schools. So I decided to apply. So one week into our academic year I received a call from Academie Lafayette and my daughter began a new school that next week. She was nervous, I was nervous, but I did not want to miss the opportunity. We have loved our experience at Academie Lafayette.
Not only did I develop a relationship with my daughter’s teacher I also developed a relationship with the receptionist who became very familiar with my daughter, myself, and my daughter’s grandmother who came to pick her up from time to time. I also became close with the counselor, the school nurse, and other administrators and we all worked together to support my daughter in whatever way she needed. They also were a support to me and whatever way I needed and addressed any concerns as quickly as they possibly could. I thought it was awesome that the school counselor would come into the classroom and talk about character traits and character development with the children. My daughter has won the award for integrity and the empathy award and even better that she was able to fully understand and able to articulate what those traits meant to her.
I love being part of the Academie Lafayette Family. I must admit I was nervous initially because of the foreign language component and I had no experience speaking French. But my daughter has flourished and loves her school community. I would encourage any parent to do research, visit the school, ask questions, and should you decide to become a part of the Academie Lafayette Family I am confident that you will not be disappointed!
Preschool
Academie Lafayette offers off-site Pre-K at Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center. To enroll, families must qualify for free and reduced lunch. If you qualify for and receive a spot, you will be guaranteed a kindergarten spot at Academie Lafayette.
About Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center
The mission of Emmanuel Family & Child Development Center is to provide comprehensive, high-quality early care in a safe nurturing environment while promoting the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children ages birth to seventeen and their families.
About
EFCDC cares each weekday for more than 400 children, ages 6 weeks to 13 years. More than 91% of the enrolled families live below the federal poverty guidelines, most far below the guidelines. About 15% of the children are homeless or near homeless. Many live in battered women’s or homeless shelters or transitional living programs. Often, these families sleep on the sofas of friends or relatives, sometimes even living in cars, rundown hotels or abandoned buildings. There are several critical services no person should live without. EFCDC provides educational programs, healthcare, parent programs and emergency services to the children and families we serve. The Early Childhood Program at EFCDC provides hands-on learning experiences, supportive teacher interactions, and language-rich environments for over 200 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 years. We also provide educational services to children 5 to 13 years through our Before- and After-School Program. In our Before- and After-School Program, children receive tutoring, homework help, supervised outdoor play, peer support groups, and more.
Points of Pride
School Hours
- School Hours: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Days Open: M, Tu, W, Th, F
- Before Care Hours Start: 6:00 am
- After Care Hours End: 6:00 pm
School Details
- Total Enrollment: Information not shared with SMKCS
- Specialized Focus: Children learn through exploration
Transportation
- Provided when available