Summary:
Paramount Charter Academy is the sole elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the Paramount Charter Academy District located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. With a total enrollment of 370 students, the school faces significant challenges, including consistently low academic performance, high poverty and chronic absenteeism rates, and questions about the effective allocation of its resources.
Paramount Charter Academy has consistently underperformed on standardized tests, with proficiency rates well below the state averages in English Language Arts, math, science, and social studies across all grade levels. For example, the school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was just 20.5% in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 38.9%. The school's math proficiency rates are also very low, ranging from 11.4% in 3rd grade to 16.2% in 5th grade, far below the state averages.
The school's struggles extend beyond academics, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5% in the 2023-2024 school year, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school serves a population with a very high percentage of students from low-income families, as evidenced by the 93.51% free and reduced-price lunch rate. Despite these challenges, the school's per-student spending of $18,302 in 2023-2024 was higher than the state average, raising questions about the effective allocation of resources to support student learning and well-being.
Thank you for your feedback!