The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Math. The lowest is 21% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Guadalupe Centers Middle
Guadalupe Centers Middle is a charter school serving sixth through eighth grade in Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the Guadalupe Centers Schools district, a charter network, and sits squarely in a mid-sized urban setting. The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the neighborhood and the community the school was designed to serve. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a strong indicator that this school is working with a population that faces significant economic need. Data on the share of English learners and students receiving special education services was not available, but given the linguistic demographics of the surrounding area, a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports multilingual learners.
State test results from the most recent school year show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are below the averages for Missouri public schools overall. In sixth-grade math, roughly one in five students scored at the proficient level, with slightly better results in seventh and eighth grade, where about one in three did. English language arts results were similar: around one in five students in sixth and seventh grade were proficient, with eighth grade a bit higher at about one in four. In eighth-grade science, roughly one in four students reached the proficient threshold. When compared to other districts across Jackson County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of that set, meaning that while the raw numbers are low, they are not the lowest in the county, and some neighboring districts post even weaker results.
Academically, this is a school where a struggling student would not be a outlier; the proportion of students meeting state benchmarks is well below typical levels. A family considering this school should look closely at what academic interventions and supports are available, especially in literacy and math, because the baseline proficiency data suggests that many students need additional help to reach grade-level expectations. The data did not include information on program offerings, such as whether the school provides extended learning time, tutoring, or enrichment, so that is a gap a parent would need to fill directly.
The charter renewal history is relevant here. The district’s oversight was transferred to the Missouri Charter Public School Commission in 2021, and the state board renewed the charter for a five-year period running through June 2027. That means the school has a stable operating status for the near term, and families can expect it to remain open, though the renewal came at a time when the district’s academic results were publicly recognized as a challenge.
Kansas City itself is a large, car-dependent urban center with walkable pockets downtown and in the River Market and Crossroads districts. The school is located in the urban core, close to those areas. Housing values in the school’s zip code are roughly in line with the national median, and rents are high relative to the state average, reflecting the competitive market in the Kansas City area. The district brief did not mention any major construction, boundary changes, or leadership transitions, so there are no pending disruptions to be aware of.
For a family deciding whether Guadalupe Centers Middle fits, the honest answer depends on what they are looking for. If the priority is a school that serves a community of primarily Hispanic and low-income families in a neighborhood setting, this school meets that description. If the priority is strong or even mid-range academic outcomes as measured by state tests, the data here is a serious consideration. A parent should plan to visit, ask about intervention programs, and understand how the school addresses the academic gaps the test results reveal.
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