Summary:
The KIPP St Louis Public Schools district operates two middle schools, KIPP Inspire Academy and KIPP Triumph Academy, both of which serve students in grades 5-8. These schools are located in a high-poverty urban area and face significant challenges, as evidenced by their consistently low academic performance and high chronic absenteeism rates.
Neither KIPP Inspire Academy nor KIPP Triumph Academy are standout schools within the district or the state of Missouri, ranking 402nd and 403rd out of 438 Missouri middle schools, respectively, on the statewide SchoolDigger scale for the 2024-2025 school year. Both schools have extremely high chronic absenteeism rates of 56.3% and struggle with significantly below-average test scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), with only 3.4% and 5.6% of 5th graders proficient or better in math, compared to the state average of 38.2%.
The schools serve a student population that is entirely economically disadvantaged, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This high-poverty student population, combined with the schools' low academic performance and high absenteeism rates, suggests significant opportunity gaps that need to be addressed. Further investigation may be needed to understand the root causes of the schools' struggles and determine whether the KIPP model is effectively serving these students.
Thank you for your feedback!