About | Hope Leadership Academy

Mission and Values

The Mission

Hope Leadership Academy intentionally impacts scholars through academic growth and leadership development to achieve their highest potential.

Our History

In 2008, the Kansas City Public School District announced the closure of 29 out of its 61 schools. Two of those schools served our local community. With their closure, neighborhood children were suddenly bused across the city, losing the chance to learn and grow together.

Determined to restore that sense of community, Hope Leadership Academy opened its doors in Fall 2011, reuniting neighborhood children in a school they could call their own.

In 2010, as our founding team worked to bring Hope Leadership Academy to life, our first principal witnessed a peregrine falcon land on the school’s roof. It was an extraordinary sight in our neighborhood—and we instantly felt that this powerful, determined bird symbolized everything we hoped our students would embody:
Strength. Resilience. Vision. Soaring Potential.

That moment inspired our mascot—the Falcon—and it has proudly represented HLA ever since.

Pillars Of Success

We at Hope Leadership Academy strongly believe in our mission statement: to provide a world-class neighborhood school whose students thrive in a culture of academic rigor, character development, and caring relationships. Our 3 Pillars of Success are the framework that helps us reach the goals of the HLA mission statement.

01

Pillar One: Academic Rigor

Hope Leadership Academy prioritizes Academic Excellence as a goal for each and every student. It is our aim to meet each student where they are and push them to where they can be through high expectation, high quality staff and a culture of continuous learning.

02

Pillar Two: Leadership and Character Development

Leadership development is an essential part of character building and moral maturity. Our goal at HLA is to promote authentic leadership development in our students through identifying characteristics of quality leadership and providing opportunities for leadership exploration. When students learn to be empowered with leadership decision making skills they have the ability to impact their school, community and the larger world around them.

03

Pillar Three: Caring Relationships

Building and maintaining relationships is a key component to the fabric of Hope Leadership Academy. It is our goal to engage each person/ family from the moment they come into our school or call to inquire. Through respect, transparency, honesty, and leadership, we strive to be the examples of assertive communication, compassionate understanding and nonjudgmental engagement with the goal of providing our students the foundation needed for a successful educational journey.

These Pillars of Success support the Vision Statement of HLA which states that we envision a vibrant, close-knit, neighborhood-based school where all students reach for and attain their highest goals. By creating a caring and supportive environment with high expectations, we will empower students to become enthusiastic learners and respectful citizens who work diligently to better themselves and their neighborhood. Students will experience a high level of success both academically and in the world around them, which will strengthen families and the neighborhood we serve.

Administration and Staff

Behind every great school is a team of dedicated people who believe in every child’s potential. Get to know the caring educators, staff, and leaders who bring our mission to life each day. From the classroom to the front office, our team is committed to creating a supportive environment where every student feels known, valued, and inspired to thrive.