The top reported proficiency rate is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kipp St Louis Public Schools
KIPP St. Louis Public Schools serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade across six schools in St. Louis. It is a charter school district, and its enrollment of nearly twenty-four hundred students makes it a sizable system for its grade span. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a small share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not available, nor was information on students with disabilities or English learners. A parent should note these gaps when comparing supports across districts.
On state assessments, the district’s proficiency rates in math and English language arts were low across every tested grade. In elementary and middle school math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from a modest single-digit figure in fifth grade to a low double-digit figure in most other grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates were similarly low, with the highest rate appearing in eighth grade, though still a modest share. In science, the rates were the lowest among the subjects at the tested grades. The overall proficiency index across all subjects and grades places KIPP St. Louis in the bottom quartile among St. Louis city’s districts. Parents considering the district should look into how the schools are addressing academic skill-building and what interventions are in place.
Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate places it in the bottom quartile among city districts, meaning a large share of students miss enough school to affect learning. This is the kind of metric a family would want to discuss with school leaders to understand what attendance supports look like and whether the school environment feels stable and engaging for their child.
Per-pupil current spending sits in the middle range among St. Louis city districts, on the lower side of that range. That places it close to the middle of the full cohort of city districts, though slightly below the midpoint.
No recent data was available on the four-year graduation rate, which is a notable absence for a district serving high school students. A family with a secondary student would want to ask the high school directly about graduation outcomes.
Because this is a charter district, enrollment is by choice and not tied to a residential attendance area. The schools draw from across the city, not from a single neighborhood. The district brief turned up little publicly reported information about recent strategic changes or initiatives; a parent might want to visit individual school websites or speak with administrators to learn about current priorities.
The six schools in the district are KIPP Inspire Academy, KIPP Victory Academy, KIPP Wisdom Academy, KIPP Triumph Academy, KIPP St. Louis High, and KIPP Wonder Academy. The mix of school names suggests a K-8 or elementary and middle school structure plus a single high school, though the exact grade configurations at each school were not provided.
This is a district where the academic numbers are the soft spot and a family should investigate that area thoroughly. The student population is nearly all Black, which may align with a family’s preference for a school environment matching their child’s background. The charter structure means the district operates with some autonomy from the traditional public school system. A parent weighing this option should ask pointed questions about academic progress, attendance strategy, and postsecondary preparation at the high school.
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