The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Science. The lowest is 15% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Confluence Academies
Confluence Academies is a public school district serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in St. Louis city. The district operates six schools: Aspire Academy, Old North Academy, South City, Confluence Preparatory Academy, Grand Center Arts Academy High, and Grand Center Arts Acad Middle. This is a mid-sized district for an urban setting, and family preference around the arts focus at the Grand Center schools is a characteristic worth noting.
State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows that in both math and English language arts, proficiency rates across every tested grade from third through eighth fell well below what most families would consider a strong academic starting point. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from roughly seven percent in fourth grade to about twenty-two percent in eighth grade. In English language arts, the range was from about nine percent in fourth grade to around twenty-eight percent in eighth grade. Science results, available for fifth and eighth grades, showed proficiency at roughly sixteen percent and twenty-five percent respectively. These are soft spots, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports are in place. The district's overall proficiency index, which averages results across subjects and grades, sits below the midpoint when compared with the other districts in St. Louis city.
The student body is composed predominantly of students who identify as Black, with a substantial Hispanic population. White students, Asian students, and students identifying with two or more races each represent a much smaller share. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were figures for students with disabilities or English learners.
Chronic absenteeism, a measure of how many students miss a significant number of school days, is a concern. The district's chronic absenteeism rate falls below the midpoint among St. Louis city's districts, which means it is higher than the median for the city. This is an area a family would want to discuss with the school to understand what attendance initiatives look like.
On the resource side, per-pupil current spending places Confluence in the upper range among St. Louis city's districts, meaning the district invests at a level above many of its city peers.
We looked for recent district changes or strategic priorities reported publicly and found little of lasting impact, so we left that out rather than guess. Housing and community context data was also not available in this profile, so a full picture of the neighborhoods the district draws from is not part of this account.
Graduation rate information was not reported, so a high school outcome metric is absent from this picture. The district does offer a full grade span through twelfth grade, and families with students at the upper end will want to ask the high schools directly about graduation pathways, college and career readiness, and any dual-credit or vocational offerings.
For a parent or resident trying to get a read on this place, the central takeaway is straightforward. Confluence Academies is a St. Louis city district serving a predominantly Black and Hispanic student body, with per-pupil spending that is high relative to other city districts, but with state assessment results that are low and a chronic absenteeism rate that is elevated. The academic pathway here is one where a family would want to be actively engaged and asking questions about how the schools are working to move those numbers. The arts-themed schools provide a specific program identity that may appeal to families seeking that kind of focus.
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