Construction pushes Goodwill’s $4M adult high school ‘from shared dream to physical reality’
October 1, 2026 | Tommy Felts
Community members tour construction progress at the new Execel Center Kansas City adult high school at Park 39; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
A construction kickoff Wednesday at Park 39 marked an early step in Excel Center’s invitation to broader opportunities for adult high school students, said Robyn Wiens, noting the standalone space at the site of the former Westport High School could soon bring 350 students back to campus.
A standalone school building for Excel Center Kansas City on the campus of Park 39, the former Westport High School; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“Our students aren’t just earning a diploma,” said Dr. Wiens, executive director of schools for Excel Center, which is an initiative of MERS Goodwill. “They are liberated from the weight of unfinished goals.”
Excel Center already operates six schools across Missouri. The Kansas City building will be its seventh, although the local MERS Goodwill began operating a limited version of its programming in fall 2025 in leased space at Metropolitan Community College.
ICYMI: Goodwill’s adult high school launches first day; work continues toward long-term campus
Accessible via nearby bus routes and the KC Streetcar, which boasts a stop less than a half-mile away, the new school is expected to offer free, on-site childcare for enrolled students, as well as an outdoor playground.
“If you want adults to go back and get their high school degree, you’ve got to tackle transportation and childcare. Those are two of the biggest barriers,” said Mark Arens, president and CEO of MERS Goodwill, which serves Eastern Kansas, Missouri, and Western Illinois with central hubs in Kansas City, Missouri and St. Louis, Missouri.
“It’s kind of a big dirt farm right now, but this will give us a chance to offer a preschool right here,” he said Wednesday before inviting community members on a walkthrough of the site.
Set to open by March 2027, the $3.9 million, 21,500-square-foot space is expected to feature nine classrooms, a large commons area with multipurpose furniture for events, kitchenette, study areas and potential office and meeting spaces.
“We’re making sure each one is better than the last,” Arens said of the Kansas City site, which joins schools in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Florissant, Poplar Bluff, St. Louis and Springfield.
Martin Altieri, school administrator for Excel Center Kansas City, center, guides community members through construction at the new school site; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Excel Center Kansas City employs qualified education instructors to offer individualized assistance for people with disabilities, English language learners, and learners with a range of previous education. All students are encouraged to earn industry recognized certifications and/or dual college credits along with their diploma.
The goal: combat regional workforce deficits and intergenerational poverty.
“We’re excited to bring this model to Kansas City,” Arens said, describing a process that saw the Missouri Legislature add Jackson County as a statutory site for Excel Center in 2023, a contract signed in 2024, then a school opening at MCC in fall 2025.
A capital campaign has already raised $4 million for the school and its future operating site at Park 39, he added.
“Now we’re ready to execute on the plan to have a larger, full-scale operating facility,” Arens continued. “We’re excited to be here in Midtown, creating a full circle of education in what used to be the Westport middle and high schools.”
“Today’s ceremony represents a transition from shared dream to physical reality,” he added.
For Wiens, a former middle school principal, projects like the Excel Center school in Kansas City allow a new pathway for serving those in need of education and workforce tools. She previously worked in student services, which includes special education, gifted programs, and federal programs — often working along parents, but focused on young people.
“I was helping their child be successful in school in the face of so many challenges, but I really wasn’t in a position to help their parents; now I can do that,” Wiens explained. “Now I can change lives through the power of work, by helping parents and families become stronger and building stronger communities.”
The first year of Excel Center programming at MCC in Kansas City served about 200 students with 16 graduating. Another 10 to 16 could graduate in December, Wiens noted. Once the new school is open in Midtown, they expect that number to skyrocket with the space serving 300 to 350 students each year, she said.
The Excel Center model has operated across the country for 15 years with its first schools opening in Missouri in 2018, according to MERS Goodwill. Data provided by the organization shows the model provides immediate and long-term economic mobility for participants such as:
- $9,800 annual increase in wages among the 70% of graduates who are employed within 6 months of graduation.
- 22% more likely to be employed than their peers.
- 20% more likely to be enrolled in college or certificate programs.
- 38% increase in earned income compared to peers after five years.
- 35% increase in earned income compared to peers after four years.
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