Re-Imagining Education in St. Louis

A charter school is a free, independent public school that operates outside of a school district. Charter schools are granted greater flexibility in return for greater accountability. Missouri charter schools are governed by independent boards and are non-profit organizations. You can learn more about charter schools from our charter sponsor, Missouri Charter Public School Commission.

Kairos is a public school and is prohibited from charging tuition.

We receive per-pupil public funds similar to district schools. While Missouri law requires us to receive 100% of the funding, the reality is that charter school per pupil funding is slightly smaller than what the local district receives.

As with most states, Missouri charter schools do not receive capital funds to support facility expenses. Charter schools are entitled to federal categorical funding for which their students are eligible, such as Title I and Special Education monies. Federal legislation provides grants to help charters to manage start-up costs.

If you’d like to learn more about monetarily supporting Kairos, please click here.

Public charter schools are public schools established by teachers, parents, principals, educational experts, and entrepreneurs. The biggest difference is that no student is assigned to a charter school. Families choose to enroll their children in public charter schools. Public charter schools operate free from some of the regulations of a school district. Charter schools are accountable for achieving the same state standards as school districts but may choose to use different measures and timelines for reaching their goals. In exchange for flexibility, charters can be closed if they do not keep their performance promises. Public charter schools are governed by non-profit boards and must comply with their “charter” agreement and performance contract conditions. Unlike elected district boards, charter school boards are appointed and operate under Missouri Statutes that regulate non-profit organizations.

Kairos Academies serves students in grades 5-12.

Placement in upper high school grades (11th and 12th) is contingent upon verified credit attainment. Kairos Academies reviews transcripts to determine whether students have earned sufficient credits to be classified as a junior or senior. Students who have not yet met the credit thresholds may be placed in the grade level that aligns with their academic progress.

We are a public school which means we are open to all students in the area we serve. We accept our students by a random, public lottery. To apply to our schools, go to SchoolAppSTL.

FOR STUDENTS NEW TO KAIROS (www.kairosacademies.org/apply):

Step 1: Apply

Kairos participates in the SchoolAppSTL common application. Applications for the 2026-27 school year open on October 1, 2025. Applications received by March 1, 2026 will be included in our admissions lottery.

Step 2: Lottery / Offer

Seats will be filled by random lottery on March 2, 2026. All remaining seats are offered to families on a first-come, first-served basis. You may apply to multiple schools but you may only accept one admissions offer per student.

Step 3: Enrollment

Once you've logged into SchoolAppSTL and accepted your admissions offer, Kairos will send instructions to complete your student's enrollment in PowerSchool. Your student cannot attend school until this process has been completed and supporting documentation has been verified by our staff.

Step 4: Welcome to Kairos

Your family will receive a list of events over the spring and summer to help you prep for the new school year and plug into our school community.

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FOR STUDENTS RETURNING TO KAIROS (www.kairosacademies.org/reenroll):

Step 1: Intent to Return

Complete your intent to return conversation with your student's mentor beginning in November. This is a casual conversation to gauge your interest in joining us next school year and helps us in our enrollment planning.

Step 2: Re-Enrollment

Every returning Kairos student must complete a re-enrollment form in PowerSchool beginning in January. Forms are due by the end of February and will determine how many seats are made available to new students. Failure to complete your form by February may result in loosing your seat at Kairos.

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Enrollment support can be reached by contacting us at enrollment@kairosacademies.org or at 314-252-0602.

We believe that education is the best gift you can give and thank you for your consideration in supporting our mission.

You can donate by clicking here, or learn more about volunteering here.

We invite you to visit our Careers page to see our current job openings or to submit your resume for us to have on file should a good fit position come up.