The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Academie Lafayette Cherry Elem
Académie Lafayette Cherry Elementary is a public charter school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Kansas City, Missouri. It is one of three campuses in the Académie Lafayette charter network, a French-immersion program that expanded to a full PK-12 system when the district opened its International High School. For families choosing Cherry Elementary, the pathway offers continuity through graduation without leaving the immersion model.
The school sits in the urban core of Kansas City, a large and spread-out Midwestern city known for its boulevards, fountains, and a downtown that has seen significant residential investment. The neighborhood around Cherry Street is within the city's older fabric, and the school draws from across the city through its charter enrollment. Housing in the immediate zip code area shows typical home values below the statewide average, and rental costs have been rising at a faster pace than the national rent index. The broader Jackson County housing market includes a wide mix of historic neighborhoods and newer suburban-style developments.
Académie Lafayette Cherry Elementary's academic performance on the Missouri Assessment Program places it in a strong position compared to other schools in Jackson County. Across the tested grades of third, fourth, and fifth, proficiency rates in English language arts and math are consistently above the midpoint for the county, and the school's overall proficiency index lands in the top quarter of districts in the county. In math, proficiency rates rise from third to fourth grade before a modest dip in fifth. In English, the pattern goes upward, with fifth grade reaching a notably stronger rate. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also solid. These results suggest a school where most students are meeting state standards across subjects, with English performance especially climbing in the upper elementary years. Because the school only began reporting data with a single year, there is no multi-year trend to assess direction.
The student body of just under five hundred children is diverse in composition. Slightly under half of students are white, about a fifth are Black, and more than a tenth are Hispanic. Students who identify as two or more races make up a substantial share. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is moderate for Kansas City and lower than many urban schools. Data on special education and English learner status was not available, so a parent may wish to ask the school directly about those supports.
The school is a charter, which means it operates independently under its own board while receiving public funding. There is no magnet or Title I designation in the available data. The absence of discipline, staffing, and attendance data leaves gaps in understanding the day-to-day school environment and student support. A parent considering the school would want to visit and ask about class sizes, teacher turnover, and how the school handles behavioral issues.
Académie Lafayette as a district is small and distinct. With the 2020 addition of the International High School, the network now offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme alongside career and technical education at the secondary level. This is a meaningful change: families who enroll at Cherry Elementary can keep their children in the same French-immersion system through high school graduation, rather than switching to another district after eighth grade. The district's website publicly reports that the high school emphasizes strong STEM and global studies.
For the right family, this school offers a clear academic identity. A child who enters in kindergarten can move through a coherent program that ends with an IB diploma, all within a charter network that produces solid state test results. The urban setting means access to Kansas City's cultural institutions and downtown amenities, though the school itself is in a traditional neighborhood. The lack of multi-year data and incomplete information on discipline and special programs means a careful conversation with the school is worthwhile before enrolling. The school fits well for a family that values language immersion, wants a strong elementary academic foundation, and is comfortable with an urban charter school environment.
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