University Academy named states first National Blue Ribbon charter school

Congratulations to Kansas City’s University Academy which has just been awarded U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools recognition!

This recognition goes to public schools who have achieved either overall academic excellence or made significant strides in closing the achievement gap.

University Academy is the only public high school in Missouri to receive the award this year and is the first charter school in the state to have ever been named a Blue Ribbon school.

“On behalf of Missouri charter schools we congratulate University Academy High School,” said Douglas Thaman, Executive Director for the Missouri Charter Public School Association. “It’s a tremendous accomplishment to receive the National Blue Ribbon award. As the first charter school and only public high school in Missouri to receive this year’s award, this is a true testament to the tremendous instruction University Academy teachers are providing! We salute each and every one of you!”

Founded in 1999 by Tom Bloch, Lynne Brown, and Barnett and Shirley Helzberg,  University Academy is no stranger to national recognition for its innovative approaches to education.

The school has consistently been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s best public high schools and in 2015 it was listed as the 199th best high school in the country in the “Beating the Odds” category by Newsweek Magazine.

Last year the school scored a perfect 100 on the Missouri Annual Performance Report. far exceeding the 70 percent achieved by Kansas City.

After hearing of the Blue Ribbon designation, Superintendent and Executive Director of University Academy Tony Kline congratulated students and their parents for not only embracing the mission of University Academy, but also for supporting the mastery philosophy of the Upper School.

Nina Rees, President and Chief Executive Officer for the National Alliance for Public
Charter Schools stated, “we offer our congratulations to the University Academy High
School students and staff, one of twenty-three charter schools across the United States
to receive the National Blue Ribbon award this year!”

TateAnna Gravely-Moss, a senior, credits UA with preparing her for college, “We are not
just a number on a roster, our teachers know who we are. Here, we get that one on
one experience and the teachers provide what is best for us as individuals.” TateAnna

TateAnna will graduate this year and has been offered a full-ride scholarship to a number of top-tier Universities around the country.

Representatives from University Academy will travel to Washington, D.C. on November
6-7, 2017, to receive this prestigious award.