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Proposal to shut down Tennessee’s Achievement School District heads to the Senate

Students gather outside a school that's part of the state-run Achievement School District in Memphis. Only three schools are currently part of the district. (Kyle Kurlick for Chalkbeat)
Students gather outside a school that's part of the state-run Achievement School District in Memphis. Only three schools are currently part of the district. (Kyle Kurlick for Chalkbeat) Students gather outside a school that's part of the state-run Achievement School District in Memphis. Only three schools are currently part of the district. (Kyle Kurlick for Chalkbeat)

By Max Lubbers / Chalkbeat Tennessee 3 min read


This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Tennessee could shut down the state-run Achievement School District and introduce a new model of intervention for low-performing schools by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

The legislation has sailed through committees in the House and Senate with unanimous votes. It is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

The proposal is the latest call to phase out the controversial school turnaround system, which operated a peak of 33 schools but now includes just three. The district separated low-performing schools from their local school systems and placed them in a district under state jurisdiction.