The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Citizens of the World Charter
Citizens of the World Charter is a Missouri charter school district serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates two schools, an elementary and a middle school, both under a single charter. Because it serves only through grade eight, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and state testing data covers grades three through eight.
On the Missouri Assessment Program, proficiency rates vary noticeably by grade and subject. In some elementary grades, roughly a third of students met proficiency benchmarks in math and English language arts, while in other grades the share was lower. Science results follow a similar pattern, with higher proficiency at grade five than at grade eight. Taken together across all tested subjects and grades, the district’s overall proficiency index lands above the midpoint among Jackson County’s districts. That means its average performance sits better than many of its county peers, though the range of outcomes within the district is wide and a parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
Chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge. The rate places the district below the midpoint among county peers, meaning absenteeism is higher than in many other districts in Jackson County. This is a metric families should discuss with the school to understand what attendance supports exist. Per-pupil current spending falls in the lower half of the middle range among county districts, indicating that the district operates with a budget slightly below the typical level for the area.
The student body is diverse. Black students make up the largest share, followed by white, Hispanic, and students who identify with two or more races. Smaller groups include American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners were not available in the public record reviewed, so a precise picture of economic and learning support needs is not possible from this source.
Several publicly reported developments affect the district’s near-term trajectory. In early 2026, the charter school submitted a request to transfer its sponsorship from the Missouri Charter Public School Commission to Kansas City Public Schools, a change that would shift oversight and accountability. That request received a response from the commission in March 2026. In 2024, a contract amendment added classroom building space, expanding physical capacity. The current five-year charter contract, covering 2021 through 2026, received an invitation for renewal in early 2025, which means the authorization to operate is under review. An annual report from the charter commission flagged fiscal viability concerns tied to the expiration of federal pandemic-era funding; the district meets all financial indicators except for its debt-to-asset ratio. The loss of federal ESSER funding could affect programming and services in coming years.
For a family considering this charter, the picture is one of a mid-sized, PK-through-8 district that serves a racially diverse student body and whose academic performance sits above the middle of a broad urban county, but with uneven results across grades and elevated chronic absenteeism. The recent sponsorship-transfer process, charter renewal timeline, and fiscal monitoring all suggest that the district is in a period of transition that families will want to follow closely.
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