May 6, 2024
St. Louis, MO – Kairos Academies, a public charter middle and high school, proudly announces its receipt of a transformative $2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Charter School Program (CSP-SE). This grant, administered for the state of Missouri by the Opportunity Trust, marks a significant stride in Kairos Academies' efforts to empower students to direct their own lives and learning.
"The most vulnerable children in our community remain significantly behind academically, and these resources will help these schools expand access to their innovative programs, accelerate progress to catch students up, and we believe create new examples of what is possible in public education for our state," said Eric Scroggins, CEO of the Opportunity Trust.
At Kairos Academies, CSP-SE funds will cover the startup costs associated with expanding into 11th and 12 grades: onboarding additional teachers; purchasing classroom materials and curriculum; expanding mental health services; and building a full suite of college and career resources including counseling staff, test prep, and dual enrollment courses.
Kairos Academies High School Principal, Adaure Nduka, is thrilled by the opportunities these funds will open up for her students. "Right now we are partnering with Next Prep. They do an amazing job at setting our kids up for their careers and really helping them map those career pathways. And this gives us an additional opportunity to pour more heavily into the college pathway, because we have a lot of students who are really, really interested and excited about going to college."
Kairos sophomore, Ashanti Nurse, is eager to take full advantage of these new resources. "My interests are to be a cardiac curgeon when I graduate high school and to go into the healthcare pathway, go to college, maybe Ivy League. So I'm keeping my grades high and also focusing on exploring my options after high school and how to get there. [The funding] will help create programs that will help me stay on the pathway that is necessary for me to graduate."
As the first public charter school in Missouri to receive federal CSP-SE funds, this grant not only positions Kairos Academies as a trailblazer but also underscores its commitment to fostering a supportive environment where every student is empowered to pursue a meaningful, choice-filled life.
Opened in south St. Louis city in 2019 with a single class of 6th grade students, Kairos Academies has growth into a vibrant, intentionally diverse community serving grades 5-10. Enrollment will expand to grade 11 in 2024 and grade 12 in 2025.
Kairos Academies builds student agency and drives award-winning academic growth through personalized learning, 1:1 mentoring, and challenging project-based classes. Kairos Academies Middle School is ranked number 3 on U.S. News and World Report's 2023 list of Missouri's Best Charter Middle Schools and is a 2022 Prime Growth Award winner (Saint Louis University PRiME Center). Kairos Academies High School is ranked the number 3 open enrollment, non-selective public high school in St. Louis for student growth and achievement (2023 MAP Scores). More information about Kairos Academies and its free, public, personalized educational experience can be found at www.kairosacademies.org.
Contact: Stuart Murray
Director of Communications and Marketing
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