The number of Memphis schools earning the state’s top academic status increased this year, even as 39 schools are performing at the lowest level, according to a list published by the Tennessee Department of Education on Friday.
Schools with low achievement, called “priority” schools, will face a new intervention model passed by state lawmakers in the spring. Those repeatedly found at the bottom of Tennessee’s performance ladder could be closed or converted to charters.
It’s unclear when those actions will be decided for the 2024-25 priority schools, which total over 100 statewide. Receiving that designation means schools either fall in the bottom 5% of student performance on state assessments or graduate less than two-thirds of their students each year…