That starts in the classroom. Thanks to the hard work of our community, our students are receiving the education they need to thrive.
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Currently, 51% of Kansas City public schools are under-performing, failing to meet academic benchmarks. That means half of our city’s students fall behind national standards for test scores and graduation rates. This has a detrimental impact on ongoing educational outcomes, a qualified workforce, and the area’s economy.
Through our investments, governance, and partnerships, we aspire to help KCPES add around 2,000 quality seats to support low- and medium-quality schools.
These figures represent years of community, building chairs so everyone has a voice at the table, belief in a better future, and an unapologetic commitment to improving educational outcomes for Kansas City’s students.
– Dr. Cokethea Hill-Woodard,
Parents, community members, teachers, funders, and policy makers all have a vital role to play in ensuring every classroom supports every child.
Contact UsFrom classrooms to boardrooms, our programs drive measurable, lasting change for Black students. Along with our offerings, we also support families through closure or consolidation of low-performing schools and help them navigate the system.
Recruit, train and place everyday Kansas City community members onto school boards, including charter schools and KCPES. 50+ leaders placed as of 2026.
Support dozens of Kansas City’s newest charter school board members through a robust two-year leadership community.
Since its start, served over 300 students with summer classes. Supported 20 college students with paid teaching positions through BLAQUE Kansas City’s Summer Freedom School.
Recruiting and training more than 1,500 diverse educators to strengthen Kansas City’s talent pipeline and transform it into a hub of passionate, qualified teachers.
We’re creating the schools our community need. Because the people being served by schools must have their voices heard.
We partnered with 165 Kansas City community members, including students, parents, educators, and systems leaders, to create the Community Blueprint for KC Schools.
This first-of-its-kind practical guide outlines how to design, invest in, and govern Kansas City schools. It emphasizes what young people and families actually require to thrive.
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We are incredibly honored to support three Kansas City public charter schools and two nonprofit organizations with a landmark investment of $1.8 million.
Our investment decisions were guided by the Community Blueprint for KC Schools. We monitor impact, for ourselves and others, through our Citywide Data Analysis, which shares race-disaggregated education data to identify our successes and areas where we are not properly serving our students and communities. This level of transparent data has become a standard expectation for policymakers.
This is how BLAQUE Kansas City has relentlessly advocated for better classrooms for our Black students over the years. And we’re just getting started.
Contact UsWe host our Candidate Classroom and our Candidate and Campaigners Bootcamp, two early programs that continue to influence our work.
The inaugural Charter School Board Draft places 15 community champions on 12 charter school boards.
We welcome in our first class for Freedom School. We also successfully campaign to reduce 10 KCPES proposed school closures to two.
We contribute $30K to the KCPES Bond Campaign and $50K towards the launch of a CTE construction pathway with J.E. Dunn, and we provide $19K in signing bonuses to Teachers Like Me. We also continue to grow our team by four.
We invest $1.8 million in Igniting the Future of Education. We also hire four new team members, move to a new office, and host the third Charter School Board Draft.
We convene everyone who wants Kansas City children to receive high-quality education. Whether an educator, funder, or advocate, your passion shapes the lives of our students.
BLAQUE Kansas City tracks measurable, data-backed outcomes across three areas: school governance, school quality, and educator pipeline development, ensuring every program and investment is producing real, documented change for Kansas City's Black students.
BLAQUE Kansas City is fundamentally shifting what is possible in our city’s education system. We’ve placed 50+ diverse community champions on charter school boards and KCPES, invested $1.8M in local schools in 2026, and made race-disaggregated education data a standard expectation for policymakers across Kansas City, Missouri.
BLAQUE Kansas City shares impact data, program updates, and education insights through our Substack and our quarterly newsletter. Subscribe to both to stay connected to our latest reporting across Kansas City.
Community input is at the core of how BLAQUE Kansas City defines and measures success. We build with our community. We don't do to them. Through listening tours, community partnerships, and the ongoing work of programs like the Charter School Board Draft, the voices of Kansas City families and neighbors directly shape our priorities, investments, and outcomes.
Stay informed about our work and upcoming opportunities in Kansas City.