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Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy

Public, Charter Grades 6-12
181st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 400 Tennessee High Schools
Better than 55% of Tennessee high schools
Summary

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) is a small grades 6–12 girls' leadership school in Chattanooga, TN, serving 354 students within Hamilton County Schools — a district that includes both struggling comprehensive high schools and some of the state's top magnet programs. The school currently ranks 181st out of 400 Tennessee high schools (55th percentile, 3 stars), a solid mid-pack position that reflects a volatile history: CGLA climbed as high as 37th in the state in 2021–2022 before dropping to 203rd in 2023–2024 and partially recovering since.

Where CGLA shines is student engagement and support. Its 96.7% graduation rate, 3.3% dropout rate, and 7.0% chronic absenteeism rate all beat district and state averages by wide margins — a striking contrast to nearby schools like The Howard School (52.1% chronic absenteeism) and Brainerd High School (42.7%). Even compared to Chattanooga Preparatory School, which sits right next door and posts slightly better attendance, CGLA ranks substantially higher in the state and earns far stronger test scores. CGLA is also exceptionally effective for economically disadvantaged students, who perform at the 94th percentile statewide, and its Algebra I proficiency rate of 54.7% far exceeds the district (36.5%) and state (32.3%) averages.

The trade-off is overall academic proficiency. Math proficiency sits at 34.7% and ELA at 26.4%, both below state averages, and upper-level courses like Algebra II and Biology I lag as well. CGLA spends generously — $20,255 per student — and maintains a small student-teacher ratio of 9.9, yet those resources haven't produced the top-tier results seen at selective schools like STEM School Chattanooga. Still, for families seeking a supportive, close-knit environment with strong graduation outcomes, especially for students from low-income backgrounds, CGLA stands out as a notably high-functioning option in its part of Chattanooga — even as its academic proficiency remains a work in progress.

354
Students ?
9.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,255
Per pupil spending ?
68.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1802 Bailey Avenue
       Chattanooga, TN  37404

(423) 702-7230

District: Hamilton County Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
53.7%
African American:
38.1%
Two or more races:
5.1%
more
 See top rated Tennessee high schools

 Compare Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 90th percentile in 2022 → 55th in 2026
Strengths
97% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (90%)
Above the Tennessee median (55th percentile)
Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Tennessee average (35% vs 44% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped from its 90th-percentile peak (2022) to 55th (2026)
!Science scores 17 pts below the Tennessee average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school35%
District avg43%
Tennessee avg44%
Middle school
405th of 594
Tennessee public middle schools ?
Bottom 32%▼ down 2 pts since 2018
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
181st of 400
Tennessee public high schools ?
Top 45%▲ up 19 pts since 2016
From bottom 35% (2016) to top 45% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
10th of 21High Schools in the Hamilton County Schools
81st of 141Hamilton County Schools among Tennessee districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202634.9405 of 59431.8%★★☆☆☆
202543.9326 of 58344.1%★★☆☆☆
202451.5262 of 58755.4%★★★☆☆
202336.6363 of 59438.9%★★☆☆☆
202225.6427 of 56925.0%★☆☆☆☆
202132.6374 of 57635.1%★★☆☆☆
201947.1265 of 57453.8%★★★☆☆
201837.2373 of 56333.7%★★☆☆☆
201529.1406 of 49217.5%★☆☆☆☆
201428.6393 of 48519.0%★☆☆☆☆
201327.0421 of 47511.4%★☆☆☆☆
20125.3461 of 4661.1%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202645.4160 of 32851.2%★★★☆☆
202553.6112 of 31264.1%★★★☆☆
202457.2109 of 31865.7%★★★☆☆
202355.4113 of 31664.2%★★★☆☆
202247.3120 of 29959.9%★★★☆☆
202155.285 of 27769.3%★★★☆☆
201966.960 of 29379.5%★★★★☆
201855.494 of 28466.9%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202562.220 of 10080.0%★★★★☆
202240.416 of 3250.0%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202541.4329 of 54639.7%★★☆☆☆
202449.7259 of 55453.2%★★★☆☆
202335.7353 of 56037.0%★★☆☆☆
202224.5424 of 55223.2%★☆☆☆☆
202131.0371 of 53831.0%★★☆☆☆
201942.6306 of 52942.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202646.8150 of 30250.3%★★★☆☆
202554.0114 of 28660.1%★★★☆☆
202469.072 of 28574.7%★★★★☆
202341.8148 of 28548.1%★★☆☆☆
202224.4220 of 27520.0%★☆☆☆☆
202131.0173 of 26133.7%★★☆☆☆
201946.3109 of 22852.2%★★★☆☆
201837.5132 of 21939.7%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202657.0175 of 47863.4%★★★☆☆
202559.0155 of 49068.4%★★★☆☆
202476.359 of 51088.4%★★★★☆
202348.0236 of 51454.1%★★★☆☆
202238.3290 of 49541.4%★★☆☆☆
202153.5157 of 48367.5%★★★☆☆
201960.6135 of 49072.4%★★★★☆
201842.9281 of 48141.6%★★☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202652.0181 of 40054.8%★★★☆☆
202560.0127 of 38967.4%★★★☆☆
202444.0203 of 39248.2%★★☆☆☆
202360.2110 of 38471.4%★★★★☆
202275.837 of 35889.7%★★★★☆
202164.963 of 34781.8%★★★★☆
201945.8162 of 34252.6%★★★☆☆
201825.9270 of 34120.8%★☆☆☆☆
201727.2212 of 27322.3%★☆☆☆☆
201639.7227 of 35135.3%★★☆☆☆
201549.8186 of 30038.0%★★☆☆☆
201453.3134 of 29654.7%★★★☆☆
201376.232 of 28588.8%★★★★☆
20121.5268 of 2690.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20111.1273 of 2730.0%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202640.3126 of 23045.2%★★☆☆☆
202574.130 of 23387.1%★★★★☆
202469.246 of 24080.8%★★★★☆
202385.214 of 23994.1%★★★★★
202291.76 of 22297.3%★★★★★
202178.011 of 20894.7%★★★★★
201961.640 of 18778.6%★★★★☆
201843.889 of 19955.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202551.7157 of 36557.0%★★★☆☆
202437.7231 of 36536.7%★★☆☆☆
202355.5135 of 36663.1%★★★☆☆
202268.761 of 35082.6%★★★★☆
202157.598 of 34071.2%★★★★☆
201941.6200 of 33740.7%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202665.155 of 22976.0%★★★★☆
202561.651 of 21376.1%★★★★☆
202437.6132 of 20936.8%★★☆☆☆
202355.767 of 20266.8%★★★☆☆
202274.625 of 18986.8%★★★★☆
202174.222 of 18087.8%★★★★☆
201948.267 of 15356.2%★★★☆☆
201843.778 of 15950.9%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTennessee percentileRating
202680.219 of 30893.8%★★★★★
202577.036 of 32488.9%★★★★☆
202456.8105 of 33768.8%★★★☆☆
202380.115 of 33095.5%★★★★★
202283.018 of 32294.4%★★★★★
202189.07 of 31797.8%★★★★★
201966.150 of 30283.4%★★★★☆
201846.3133 of 30856.8%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Middle school
English Language Learner (2025)80th percentile+36 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile+32 vs school
African American (2026)51st percentile+19 vs school
Hispanic (2026)50th percentile+19 vs school
Female (2025)40th percentile-4 vs school
High school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)94th percentile+39 vs school
Hispanic (2026)76th percentile+21 vs school
Female (2025)57th percentile-10 vs school
African American (2026)45th percentile-10 vs school
By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?
Algebra I55%+22 vs state
English II50%-8 vs state
Biology I41%-9 vs state
Geometry41%~ state avg
English I39%~ state avg
Social Studies37%-14 vs state
Mathematics35%-8 vs state
Algebra II32%-5 vs state
Science30%-17 vs state
English Language Arts26%-14 vs state

3.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
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What people are saying
by a student
Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Open Quote feel that this school can be very outrageous about its rules and the disciplinary actions are just as outrageous. For example(This is actually what they do by the way.): Wearing a headband that is the wrong color or thicker than one inch, can result to a detention. My time at CGLA was never a good one. I feel that they would just accept anyone without looking at their disciplinary records, so that would always result to trouble makers in school. I am so glad I'm leaving this school for my 10th grade year (2019- 2020) in high school and I'm going to be in a far better school than CGLA because it will focus on something that I have a passion for (music). CGLA is a school that forces science and math upon students and expects you to not fail. I have been at CGLA ever sense 6th grade and now I'm in the 9th. I am just now getting used to the grading scale and I almost have honor roll. When your grades are actually up to part, it is very difficult to keep them up. Every time Hamilton County schools are closed due to inclement weather, CGLA is the only school that gets a one hour delay. CGLA isn't a school that one can depend on if you are struggling. If you are struggling in a class, they will try to put you in exceptional education classes and claim that you suffer from a learning disability just because you can't keep up with the way a teacher is teaching you. If you are failing a class, they will give you mandatory tutoring after school for two hours. At CGLA's tutoring, they hire people who don't know how to do the subjects you're struggling in. CGLA is not a safe place for creative people or anyone who is different because you will be ridiculed even though they claim that they have a very low tolerance bully rate. I highly do not recommend this school for anyone who is creative outside of the science and math field. Close Quote


Facebook Profile Picture by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Open Quote Why isn't the success of this very wonderful school not being advertised and shared. My daughter has attended since her first day of 6th grade and she is now a 7th grader. Her grades dropped because the level of work was much more challenging than she was accustomed to. However, her teachers and the school administrators got together and prepared a personalized and special plan of study just for her and she is now excelling in all of her classes. This is the best school I have ever associated with. They have moved into a new facility and have added an athletic department but no one ever notifies the public to all of the good things happening over there. We are going into our fourth year and we have never had a billboard. On the other hand, the new elementary charter school has had several. How is that possible? We need community support!!! Get on board and support our girls. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy

In the 2024-25 school year, 354 students attended Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy ranks 181st of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy are 54% Hispanic, 38% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% White.

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »
2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026
2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025


SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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