Germantown Online Academy of Learning

Germantown Online Academy of Learning is a small alternative public school in Germantown, TN, serving 84 students in grades K-12 as part of the top-rated Germantown Municipal Schools district. The school offers a non-traditional, online learning environment for students who may need credit recovery or a different setting than a traditional classroom.

While Germantown Municipal Schools ranks 5th out of 141 districts in Tennessee, the academy's own test scores are far below district averages — for example, 10.5% proficiency in math versus the district's 75.8%, and 35% in ELA versus 70.4%. This gap is common for alternative schools, which serve students who have often struggled in traditional settings. Compared with nearby alternative schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, however, the academy performs relatively well: English II proficiency is 75%, compared with 34.9% at Memphis Virtual School and 12% at Carver College and Career Academy.

The school's graduation rate of 91.7% (2023-24) tops the state average of 89.2% and far exceeds Memphis Virtual School (72.7%) and Carver College and Career Academy (40.6%). Its dropout rate of 8.3% is also much lower than those peer schools. The academy spends just $8,717 per student — far less than Memphis Virtual School ($15,496) or Shrine School ($37,388) — and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 3.3. Chronic absenteeism improved from 25.6% to 11.1% between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Overall, this is a cost-efficient alternative program that delivers solid graduation outcomes, though test scores remain modest and should be interpreted cautiously given the small enrollment.