Summary:
The University Academy district in Missouri has only one elementary school, University Academy-Lower, which serves students from grades K-5. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Missouri elementary schools, with a 1-out-of-5-star performance rating from SchoolDigger.
University Academy-Lower's test scores are significantly below the state averages in both Mathematics and English Language Arts across grades 3-5. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 21.5% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 41.4%. The school's science proficiency for 5th graders was also low at 25.7%, compared to the state average of 42.2%. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 18.9%.
Despite the school's high per-student spending of $13,670 and a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 15.1, University Academy-Lower continues to struggle to improve student outcomes. This suggests that the resources may not be effectively targeted to address the specific needs of the school's 100% free and reduced lunch student population, who face significant socioeconomic challenges. Addressing the achievement gaps and overall low performance will likely require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to support the unique needs of this high-poverty student community.
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