History of Kansas City International Academy
KCIA originally opened as Della Lamb Charter School, the very first charter school in the State of Missouri. It opened in the Summer of 1999 with an enrollment of 120 students in Kindergarten through 4th grade. The school was originally located at the corner of 10th and Charlotte. The school quickly expanded to serve students through 8th grade with an increased enrollment over 610 students.
Historically, the KCIA student body has included students from all over the world. Students and families at KCIA represent 21 different countries from Africa, Asia and South America and speak at least 15 different languages. Most of our students come from families experiencing economic challenges (more than 98% receive Free/Reduced Lunch Rates).
As the school expanded, additional school sites were added in order to accommodate the growing population. The school used to have two locations: 500 Woodland Ave and 414 Wallace Ave. The two buildings merged in 2017 and now all students attend school at the Wallace location.
KCIA Today
In 2016, Kansas City International Academy became a separate organization focused exclusively on providing educational services to its students and families. A new Board of Directors was created, which hired a new Administrative Leadership Team led by experienced Kansas City educational experts Dr. Steve Fleming as Superintendent, Dr. David Leone as Assistant Superintendent and Mr. Joe Palmer as Principal.
KCIA is chartered by the University of Central Missouri (UCM), one of the Kansas City area’s leading chartering organizations. The partnership with UCM includes a close working relationship with their leading edge program for English Language Learners.