University Academy
University Academy is a K-12 college-preparatory charter public school in Kansas City, Missouri.
University Academy serves approximately 1,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade who reside in the Kansas City Missouri School District (“KCMSD”). Presently, over 95% of the student body is African-American and roughly 75% qualify for free or reduced lunch. As a charter public school, University Academy admits students on the basis of a random lottery drawn from a pool of applicants. All applicants must reside within the boundaries of the Kansas City Missouri School District.
History
In 1998, the Missouri Charter School Law was adopted by the Missouri House and Senate and signed into law by the Governor. The law created a path for citizens to come together to operate public schools, but only within the boundaries of the Kansas City Missouri and St. Louis School Districts. Under the law, Charter public schools may be authorized by the two school districts or by various public universities.
University Academy was founded by Tom Bloch, Lynne Brown, and Barnett and Shirley Helzberg. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is the school’s charter sponsor.
The school opened its doors with grades 7th, 8th, and 9th in 2000, operating in a facility leased from UMKC located at 5605 Troost Avenue. In addition to providing University Academy the initial space for the school to operate and agreeing to sponsor the charter, UMKC has supported University Academy in many ways including providing an additional layer of oversight and guidance for both the board and administration.
As a result of the support and generosity of University Academy’s board of directors and the Kansas City community, construction on a new 172,000 square foot facility began in 2004. When the new facility opened in August 2005, enrollment expanded from 300 students in grades 6-12 to roughly 1,000 students in Kindergarten through grade 12.
In 2017, the US Department of Education named University Academy's Upper School a National Blue Ribbon School. This award is based on exemplary performance over the last 5 years and is considered the highest honor an American K-12 school can receive. Less than 1/3rd of 1% of the roughly 125,000 eligible K-12 schools receive this award in any year. University Academy is the first charter public school in Missouri and the only high school in Missouri in 2017 to receive this recognition.
In 2017, University Academy also celebrated the opening of its new athletic complex with help from the NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, and LINC.
Since University Academy started graduating seniors in 2004, 100% of its seniors have been accepted to 4 year colleges. In recent years, roughly 50% of University Academy seniors have received an acceptance from a Top 150 college or university as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. University Academy graduates who have been out of high school 6 years or longer have a college completion rate that is more than 5x the national average for students from lowest quartile income families.
Notable alumni
- Martez Harrison, basketball player for UMKC
- Byron White, Strategic Partner Lead for Google and Trustee of Carleton College