04/21/26
Expanding Access: When a School Works, More Children Should Have Access to It
For 25 years, families in South St. Louis have chosen Premier Charter School. Year after year, more families have wanted to enroll than the school could serve.
Premier opened in 2000 with a few hundred students. Today, it serves more than 1,000 PreK–8 learners — the result of families across the city actively seeking out a school that fits their children and families best. Now, a $2 million federal Charter Schools Program grant will allow nearly 400 more families to access that opportunity.
The investment will fund a multi-year campus expansion through 2029, adding 367 new student seats focused primarily on early elementary grades.
This expansion is part of a broader statewide effort to increase access to high-quality public schools. The Opportunity Trust (OT) administers the state’s federal Charter Schools Program funds, directing public investment to schools that demonstrate strong academic outcomes, sound governance, and genuine community demand. Since taking on the role, OT has awarded more than $18 million to 11 schools in St. Louis and Kansas City — creating over 3,150 new quality seats statewide. Premier’s expansion reflects what can happen when strong school performance and sustained family demand are matched with the resources to grow. Hundreds more children with access to a school their families chose intentionally — not by default.
A School Families Choose — and Keep Choosing
Premier’s growth has been driven by what families say they value most. The school serves students from across St. Louis and reflects the city’s diversity, with families from many neighborhoods, backgrounds, and languages. PCS parent Wendi Hill described that appeal simply: “I love the community. The diversity is amazing to me. The PCS community drew me immediately.” Families are also drawn to Premier’s emphasis on character, belonging, and high expectations — and to its strong track record of helping students transition successfully to high-performing high schools after eighth grade.
The $2 million CSP grant will add more than 400 PreK–8th seats, addressing years of unmet demand. Expansion will occur within Premier’s existing Fyler Avenue campus, where facilities planning and phased renovations have prepared the school to grow deliberately rather than rapidly. Since purchasing the campus in 2017, the school has invested more than $5 million in renovations. Additional classrooms will be prepared within those facilities as part of a long-term master plan.
Supporting Early Literacy and Academic Readiness
Premier’s expansion is grounded in measurable academic progress, particularly among the students who have historically been furthest behind. Through high-dosage tutoring focused on foundational reading, nearly three-quarters of Premier’s second-grade students receiving tutoring were reading on grade level by the middle of the year — a 43-point increase since the beginning of the school year. Among third-grade students receiving tutoring, 72% were on grade level in reading, up 18 points.
PCS is also seeing broader gains across all students. In Premier’s middle-of-year benchmark assessment, on average, 88% of students have already met their expected reading growth goals at the middle of the year. An additional 42% met more ambitious “stretch” goals designed for students who began the year multiple grade levels behind and therefore need to grow faster than a typical year’s progress in order to catch up. In math, 63% of students met their expected growth goals, and 36% met those more ambitious catch-up targets. Since the beginning of the year, Premier’s projected reading proficiency increased by seven percentage points, and projected math proficiency increased by eight points. Together, those results point to a school building real momentum across core subjects — exactly the kind of progress expansion funding is intended to accelerate.
Academic progress extends to mathematics, with fourth-grade proficiency increasing by nearly four percentage points over three years. Together, these milestone indicators show a school strengthening performance across core subjects — the type of trajectory expansion funding is intended to support.
These outcomes reflect a focused instructional approach that includes extended literacy blocks, targeted intervention informed by assessment data, and small-group instruction. Participation in the Emerson Early Literacy Challenge further aligns instructional practice, leadership support, and external investment around sustained early reading growth.
“There’s a strong partnership between the school’s leadership and board, and The Opportunity Trust has been an important part of that work,” said Board Chair Joe Blomker. “That alignment allows us to stay focused on improving outcomes for students.”
Through its partnership with OT, Premier’s board has worked to translate long-term academic priorities into measurable goals and operational plans — ensuring that growth strengthens instructional quality.
Premier’s expansion reflects a broader approach to increasing access to high-quality public schools. OT’s work across Missouri focuses on strengthening school quality first — through governance alignment, academic planning, and targeted instructional investments — before supporting responsible growth. At Premier, years of collaboration around leadership capacity and academic strategy helped position the school to expand while protecting instructional consistency.
What Responsible Growth Looks Like
Premier’s expansion demonstrates how federal investment can drive both growth and improve educational quality. CSP awards are reviewed against academic plans, operational readiness, and community demand. Premier Charter School’s award reflects a school with demonstrated enrollment stability, strong governance, and a clear instructional identity.
As The Opportunity Trust continues to work toward expanding access to quality public schools, Premier’s growth offers a model for how investment, stewardship, and long-term planning can work together to extend opportunity for students and families.