Tennessee Public Charter School Commission

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission oversees 12 charter schools in Memphis, Nashville, and Antioch serving approximately 5,358 students from pre-kindergarten through high school, including six elementary schools, four middle schools, one high school, and one alternative school. Enrollment ranges from just 85 students at Cornerstone Prep Knight Road Campus School to 837 students at Nashville Collegiate Prep. As a whole, the commission's students score below Tennessee state averages in math, ELA, and science, though outcomes vary widely by school.

KIPP Antioch College Prep Middle School is the clear standout, ranking in the top 14% of Tennessee middle schools with proficiency above state averages in every subject and chronic absenteeism of just 8.7%. Its counterpart, KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary School, is the only school in the commission with all three core subjects above state averages and has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the dataset at 6.7%. Libertas School of Memphis has improved from 1 star to 2 stars with strong social studies gains, while Cornerstone Prep Knight Road Campus School shows early promise with math proficiency of 50.0%. At the other extreme, Bluff City High School ranks in the bottom 9% of high schools with a 75.2% graduation rate, Lester Prep has the lowest math and ELA scores in the dataset, and Promise Academy Spring Hill sits in the 5th percentile of elementary schools.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, averaging 27.3% across the commission versus 18.3% statewide, and the schools with the highest absenteeism — Bluff City High School at 55.8% and Lester Prep at 48.1% — are also the lowest performers. Spending does not correlate with results: LEAD Neely's Bend spends the most at $20,921 per student yet posts ELA proficiency of just 20.9%, while KIPP Antioch College Prep Middle School spends $15,396 and delivers the best outcomes. Momentum is also split: Libertas School of Memphis is climbing, while Promise Academy Spring Hill and Rocketship Dream Community Prep have declined significantly. For parents, the KIPP Antioch campuses are the strongest success story, and reducing chronic absenteeism is the clearest lever for improvement.