The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 2% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ki Charter
KI Charter is not a traditional school district. It is a statewide open-enrollment charter network that educates students placed in residential treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals, acute-care centers, and juvenile detention facilities across Texas. Enrollment follows a child's facility placement, not home address. The network currently operates six campuses located inside partner facilities in different regions of the state.
This structure means KI Charter serves a specialized population: students with behavioral, academic, and developmental needs who are receiving residential or inpatient treatment. For families with a child in one of these settings, the relevant question is not "should we move to this district" but rather "does this facility-based school provide quality instruction and support while my child is placed here." The network has grown into the Dallas-Fort Worth area in recent years, opening campuses at facilities including a residential treatment center in DeSoto and a psychiatric hospital campus in Fort Worth, making on-site schooling available to patients who previously would have had no school enrollment during their treatment stay.
Academic performance is low across the network. On Texas state assessments, proficiency rates in elementary grades run near zero in both math and English language arts. By middle grades, proficiency begins to appear in small numbers: some students reach proficient levels in grades 6 through 8, but the proportions remain very modest. Science shows a similarly weak picture, with no fifth-grade proficiency and minimal proficiency in eighth grade. When measured against the seven districts in Hays County, KI Charter's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The network does report strong performance on the "approaches" level of Texas assessments (indicating foundational progress toward grade-level work), but relatively few students reach the "meets" or "masters" levels that signal grade-level competency.
Chronic absenteeism is very high, at near the bottom of the county comparison. This is likely an artifact of the population served: students in treatment settings often have disrupted attendance due to medical appointments, treatment schedules, and the temporary nature of placements. It reflects the operational reality of serving this population rather than a failure to engage families.
Enrollment is small, with fewer than students across all twelve grades from first through twelfth. The student body is racially diverse, with white, Hispanic, and Black students each representing substantial shares. No data on free-or-reduced-price lunch or English learner status is available; these measures may not apply to this specialized setting or may not be tracked in the same way.
The district launched a facility-enhancement initiative for the 2024-25 school year, partnering with Inventionland Education to install hands-on Innovation Labs across campuses. These spaces feature immersive, project-based learning environments designed to increase engagement for students in treatment settings. This is a substantive pedagogical shift aimed at the unique needs of the population.
KI Charter is the right fit only for families whose child is placed in a partner facility. For those families, it provides on-site schooling, small class sizes, and behavioral and academic support during what is typically a temporary treatment stay. The weak state testing results should be understood in context: they reflect a population with significant academic gaps and ongoing behavioral or medical challenges, not a measure of whether the school is providing appropriate instruction for its actual student base.
See more original research from School Decision →