The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Brookside Charter Sch.
Brookside Charter School is a tuition-free, publicly funded charter district in Jackson County serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Because it does not extend into high school, there is no graduation rate data to report. The district operates two schools: an elementary school and a middle school.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of students who identify as two or more races, followed by a still smaller Hispanic population, and a very small white enrollment. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available in the record.
State assessment results from the Missouri Assessment Program for the most recent school year place Brookside's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades above the midpoint among Jackson County’s districts. This means the school’s combined performance is roughly in the middle of the pack for the county, rather than at the lower or higher end. Yet the proficiency rates themselves are modest. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from about one in six to just under three in ten across grades three through eight, with eighth grade the highest. In English language arts, the rates similarly fell between roughly one in five and three in ten. Science results for fifth and eighth graders were in the same range. While the county comparison shows Brookside sitting around the middle of its peers, the absolute numbers indicate that most tested students are not meeting the state’s proficiency bar. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are below grade level and what academic interventions are in place.
Chronic absenteeism is a concern. Brookside’s chronic absenteeism rate sits above the midpoint among the county’s districts, meaning a notable share of students miss enough school to affect their learning. This is not unusual for the county overall, but it is a pattern worth understanding. The district’s per-pupil spending falls in the middle range of the county, in the lower half of that group, so it is not an outlier in terms of funding.
The school’s charter was renewed for a five-year term running from 2023 through 2028, which gives families multi-year stability that the school will remain open under the Missouri Charter Public School Commission. An enrollment-related contract amendment was also executed in 2024, indicating a formal change to enrollment policies or capacity terms that could affect how families apply and are admitted. A parent looking into this school should confirm what that amendment means for the current admissions process.
Because the district is a single charter authorizing two schools in the same city, there is no separate housing market or community context to describe across different towns. The city itself is not named in the record, so information about the neighborhood, housing values, and local amenities is not available here to report.
Brookside Charter offers a full PK-8 pathway in a single charter network. The academic profile is mixed: proficiency rates are modest, though the district holds a middle position when compared to other Jackson County districts. The chronic absenteeism rate and the gap between current proficiency and what families may hope for are points where a parent would want to hear directly from the school about its plans and results.
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