One year after their school was shaken by the threat of closure, families and staff at Genesis School in Kansas City were back before the state making a case for its future with renewed strength.

The public charter school needs a renewal of its state charter to continue beyond this school year, and its supporters say Missouri’s recently released school report cards show Genesis has earned the chance to carry on.

A crowd of teachers, families and students came out to the Missouri Charter Public School Commission’s hearing at the school this month to urge the commission to renew their school. The latest state Annual Performance Report (APR) showed Genesis earning 72.7% of the possible report card points — a rise of more than 10 percentage points from 2023.

Missouri’s public charter schools are governed by their sponsors and not the accreditation of the state, but they are scored on APR the same as public school districts, and a score of 72.7% would qualify a district for consideration of full accreditation.

It was a year ago that the commission, which now governs most of the charters for Kansas City’s 20 charter schools, recommended that the state revoke the Genesis’s charter, leading to a series of tense public hearings early in 2024.

In April, the Missouri state school board voted to shut the school down. The school appealed in court and a judge’s ruling in June blocked the closure, saying that the state’s action was “unlawful and arbitrary.”

Even with the uncertainty last spring, most of the families of the more than 200 students enrolled waited through the court process and re-enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year. Their confidence was reflected in the school’s improved performance during the turbulent year.

“We always knew our students and the community is better served by Genesis’ continued operations,” the school leadership said in a prepared statement after the hearing, “and the Department of Education’s latest report confirms it.”

Genesis saw stronger growth in test performance, earning 63.8% of the points possible compared to 44% in 2023. Meanwhile, Genesis continued to score high in the rate of improvement among its students — a measure that takes into account students who come into the school behind in grade level and have to gain ground with their peers. Genesis earned 86.6% of the possible points for student improvement.

According to Genesis, the state APR data show that Genesis ranked 1st in growth, 2nd in improvement and 10th in overall academic performance among Kansas City’s 20 charter schools.

The school expects a decision on renewal early in 2025.

“Having completed all of the requirements necessary for renewal,” the school’s statement read, “Genesis looks forward to a positive renewal decision and continued operations for the next five years.”