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Kansas City, Missouri - 3 schools
An equity score of 74/100 ranks University Academy #42 of 432 districts in Missouri (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,961 per pupil, University Academy ranks #137 of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending (Missouri districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,107
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$13,961
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
University Academy operates 3 public schools serving 1,107 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Missouri. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Jackson County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,961 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending. See how Missouri compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.2% local, 56.2% state, and 25.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 74/100, ranked #42 of 432 in Missouri against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 268.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 8.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.1% African American, 3.2% White, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is University Academy-Lower, with a diversity index of 12.2/100.
Its largest campus is University Academy-Lower, enrolling 609 students (55% of the district's total enrollment).
University Academy-Lower accounts for 54.8% of all University Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of University Academy a distant remainder — means University Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
University Academy school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
University Academy school enrollment ranges from 237 students (lowest) to 609 students (highest), a spread of 372 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
University Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 99.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
University Academy student-counselor ratio is 269:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within University Academy is typically wider than the University Academy-aggregate figure suggests.
University Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 8.6% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
University Academy has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 middle, 1 high. Total enrollment is 1,107 students.
How much does University Academy spend per student?
University Academy spends $13,961 per student. The district has an equity score of 74/100, ranking #42 in Missouri.
What is the demographic composition of University Academy?
University Academy students are 94.1% African American, 3.2% White, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for University Academy?
University Academy has an equity score of 74/100, ranking #42 out of 432 districts in Missouri.