KATO Charter School to Close Permanently Following 2024-25 School Year
Kato Public Charter School will close at the end of the school year after years of declining academic results and repeated warnings from its authorizer, Novation Education Opportunities (NEO).
The school, which served 90 students in 2024-25, narrowly avoided closure in 2019 after failing to meet academic and operational goals. Despite community support helping to secure a three-year extension, performance continued to decline. By 2024, fewer than 10% of students were performing at grade level in reading, math, and science.
According to the Star Tribune, in early 2024, NEO again threatened to revoke the school’s charter after a review showed Kato earned just 13% of possible points for academic performance, well below the 50% renewal threshold. NEO cited a lack of meaningful steps by school leadership to address the issues.
Administrators pointed to the difficulty of helping students who arrived already behind grade level and highlighted internal growth among students, but acknowledged that the improvements were not enough to meet state standards.
Efforts are underway to transition students to nearby districts, though many students and families are concerned about losing the more personalized support that Kato provided.
