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Lead Academy

Q: Is Lead Academy a good school?

Lead Academy ranks in the bottom 21.0% of Tennessee high schools.

Q: How many students attend Lead Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Lead Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Lead Academy?

Students at Lead Academy are 63% Hispanic, 29% African American, 6% White, 1% Two or more races.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

316^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 21% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

Lead Academy is a public high school in Nashville, TN, serving 487 students in grades 9–12 as part of Metro Nashville Public Schools. For the 2025–2026 school year, the school ranked 316th out of 400 Tennessee high schools (21st percentile, a 1-star rating), and its district ranks 126th out of 141 in the state. Test-based rankings, however, only tell part of the story. Lead Academy's 2024–2025 graduation rate was 92.4%, above both the district rate of 83.4% and the state rate of 90.5%. Chronic absenteeism was 15.8%, better than the district's 23.3% and the state's 18.3%.

These persistence metrics are particularly notable when compared to nearby schools. Glencliff High School graduates only 61.5% of its students, and Pearl-Cohn High School graduates 76.8%. Hillsboro High School matches Lead Academy's graduation rate at 90.8%, but its chronic absenteeism rate of 33.6% is more than double Lead Academy's. Even East Nashville Magnet High School, with a slightly higher 95.6% graduation rate, has a chronic absenteeism rate of 37.1%. Academically, Lead Academy shows relative strength in US History (31.5% proficient, above the district's 25.9%) and Integrated Math III (35.3% proficient, above both the district and state averages), outperforming several nearby peers in those subjects.

Lead Academy has also shown strong momentum. Since 2021–2022, chronic absenteeism fell from 42.0% to 15.8%, the dropout rate dropped from 15.1% to 7.6%, and graduation rose from 84.9% to 92.4%. The school invests heavily in that progress, spending $18,565 per student in 2024–2025 — more than Hillsboro High School, Hume - Fogg High School, and Nashville School Of The Arts — with a low student-teacher ratio of 11.8. The next challenge is translating engagement into stronger proficiency in English and foundational math, which remain below district and state averages. For parents, Lead Academy is a school that clearly succeeds at keeping students in school and on track to graduate, with solid resources and a positive trajectory.

487

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,565

Per pupil spending ?

30.6%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

1035 1st Ave South
Nashville, TN 37210

(615) 800-8293

District: Metro Nashville Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.2%

African American:

29.4%

White:

6.0%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare Lead Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (24% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg33%

Tennessee avg44%

316^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 29High Schools in the Metro Nashville Public Schools

126^th of 141Metro Nashville Public 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	316 of 400	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.9	291 of 389	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	299 of 392	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	292 of 384	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	326 of 358	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	313 of 347	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	287 of 342	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	277 of 341	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.8	174 of 273	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.5	233 of 351	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.7	168 of 300	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.2	169 of 296	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.0	245 of 285	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.6	195 of 269	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	129 of 230	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.1	123 of 233	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	119 of 240	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.7	143 of 239	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.2	157 of 222	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.6	122 of 208	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	132 of 187	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	100 of 199	49.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	22 of 50	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	18.4	29 of 29	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	46.5	3 of 7	57.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	299 of 365	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	281 of 365	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	263 of 366	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	318 of 350	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	303 of 340	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	303 of 337	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	191 of 229	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.5	165 of 213	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	163 of 209	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	147 of 202	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	184 of 189	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	167 of 180	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	98 of 153	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	113 of 159	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	176 of 308	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.8	151 of 324	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.8	244 of 337	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	235 of 330	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	295 of 322	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	283 of 317	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	182 of 302	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	238 of 308	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	271 of 368	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	266 of 366	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	298 of 359	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	322 of 349	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.4	312 of 332	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	255 of 329	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	35.7	113 of 198	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2021	31.3	228 of 306	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.9	291 of 307	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)56th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2026)44th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile+22 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile~ school

White (2021)25th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)17th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Integrated Math III35%~ state avg

US History32%-11 vs state

English II29%-29 vs state

Biology I28%-22 vs state

English I18%-19 vs state

Algebra I15%-17 vs state

Integrated Math II15%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lead Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)				TNReady English Language Arts (2026)				TNReady Algebra I (2026)				TNReady Algebra II (2026)				TNReady Biology I (2026)					TNReady Integrated Math I (2026)						TNReady Integrated Math II (2026)						TNReady Integrated Math III (2026)					TNReady US History (2026)					TNReady English I (2026)				TNReady English II (2026)				TNReady Geometry (2026)			TNReady Science (2026)				TNReady Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Algebra I 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math I 7th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I 8th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math II 8th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 12th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math III 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 12th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III All Grades	TNReady US History 9th Grade	TNReady US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry All Grades	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lead Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1035 1st Ave South	Nashville	37210	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 800-8293	486	41	11.8	30.6%	32 (6.6%)	138 (28.4%)	309 (63.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	24.3	316^th of 400 public high schools	21.0%		26.9	291^st of 389 public high schools	25.2%	25									15.7			15.4						19.3			27.7									8.8			14.9		58.8	34.2		35.3			32.2		31.5	18.2			18.2	30.0			29.1												$18,565	$2,118	$15,617
Johnson Alternative Learning Center	Public	5-12	1200 2nd Ave South	Nashville	37210	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 749-3067	117	15	8.0	60.8%	16 (13.7%)	63 (53.8%)	33 (28.2%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	9.4	379^th of 400 public high schools	5.3%		24.7	304^th of 389 public high schools	21.9%	75		< 5%	< 5%	< 5%		5.6	< 5%	< 5%										< 5%			< 5%			< 5%			< 5%			5.3			5.3			< 5%		< 5%			< 5%		< 5%	< 5%			< 5%	5.6			< 5%					5.6	< 5%	5.1		17.6	< 5%	5.2
Hume - Fogg High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	700 Broadway	Nashville	37203	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(615) 291-6300	893	48	18.7	4.7%	513 (57.4%)	149 (16.7%)	102 (11.4%)	99 (11.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.1%)	97.8	4^th of 400 public high schools	99.0%		97.5	2^nd of 389 public high schools	99.5%	2																	≥ 95%				≥ 95%			84.6			84.6		≥ 95%	94.5			≥ 95%	≥ 95%	95.0	89.2		94.4						91.7			91.7	≥ 95%			≥ 95%												$15,512	$866	$14,067
Nashville School Of The Arts	Public, Magnet	9-12	1250 Foster Avenue	Nashville	37210	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(615) 291-6600	569	34	16.9	16.6%	264 (46.4%)	204 (35.9%)	65 (11.4%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.1%)	56.9	145^th of 400 public high schools	63.8%		55	149^th of 389 public high schools	61.7%	4																	60.3	53.3			60.1			26.2			26.2		68.8	19.4			32.0		54.2	20.8		26.5			50.7		50.6	46.5			46.5	74.6			74.6												$16,162	$840	$14,687
STEM Prep High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1252 Foster Avenue	Nashville	37210	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 425-0050	502	18	27.8	29.5%	116 (23.1%)	107 (21.3%)	271 (54.0%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24.7	314^th of 400 public high schools	21.5%		27.5	284^th of 389 public high schools	27.0%	30									18.6			19.7	40.0	13.6		15.4	22.1			41.7	24.8																			34.8			33.6	17.5			18.1	45.7			46.2	19.1		18.6									$19,689	$1,413	$17,191
Martin Luther King Junior School	Public, Magnet	7-12	613 17th Avenue North	Nashville	37203	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(615) 329-8400	1,219	60	20.2	9.8%	583 (47.8%)	384 (31.5%)	114 (9.4%)	101 (8.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (2.8%)	97.2	6^th of 400 public high schools	98.5%		97.8	1^st of 389 public high schools	99.7%	5		56.0	91.2	83.3		85.3	71.4	78.1									92.0				92.0		92.7	84.5			87.4		≥ 95%	94.2			≥ 95%		≥ 95%	87.7		90.6			92.3		92.3	88.3			88.3	≥ 95%			≥ 95%					92.7		92.7		≥ 95%	84.5	90.0	$14,856	$856	$13,262
East Nashville Magnet High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	110 Gallatin Road	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 262-6947	547	35	15.6	53.7%	15 (2.7%)	490 (89.6%)	20 (3.7%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.9%)	50.9	189^th of 400 public high schools	52.8%		29.9	272^nd of 389 public high schools	30.1%	83																	37.3				36.4			32.4			32.4			34.3			33.8			57.3		56.2			55.6		55.6	14.9			14.7	43.5			43.5												$19,051	$1,602	$16,593
Pearl-Cohn High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	904 26th Avenue North	Nashville	37208	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 329-8150	545	32	17.0	65.8%	7 (1.3%)	479 (87.9%)	39 (7.2%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	23.2	322^nd of 400 public high schools	19.5%		14.9	343^rd of 389 public high schools	11.8%	21																	34.6	30.5			32.7			15.4			15.4			27.6			28.2			18.5		20.2			12.7		14.5	8.9			8.9	33.6			32.5												$18,830	$1,785	$16,330
KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School	Public, Charter	9-12	123 Douglas Avenue	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 514-6260	467	24	19.4	37.4%	22 (4.7%)	277 (59.3%)	157 (33.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	53.9	168^th of 400 public high schools	58.0%		61.2	115^th of 389 public high schools	70.4%	53									24.2			24.0		29.0		28.1			63.6		62.9																			46.4			46.0	21.2			21.1	63.1			60.3	32.2		32.2									$20,463	$1,581	$18,443
Glencliff High School	Public	9-12	160 Antioch Pike	Nashville	37211	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 333-5070	1,077	63	17.1	30.0%	103 (9.6%)	192 (17.8%)	746 (69.3%)	30 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.4%)	5.5	395^th of 400 public high schools	1.3%		14.3	348^th of 389 public high schools	10.5%	47																		9.5	11.5		9.5			< 5%			< 5%		16.7	< 5%			< 5%			< 5%	< 5%	5.9			7.5	9.1	7.4	< 5%			< 5%	19.6	< 5%	9.1	12.9												$18,848	$1,327	$16,806

Frequently Asked Questions about Lead Academy

How many students attend Lead Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Lead Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Lead Academy?

Students at Lead Academy are 63% Hispanic, 29% African American, 6% White, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Lead Academy in?

Metro Nashville Public Schools

Is Lead Academy a good school?

Lead Academy ranks in the bottom 21.0% of Tennessee high schools.

Rate Lead Academy!

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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.