The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Journey Coleman School
Journey Coleman School is a public charter school in Memphis serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. It operates under the Achievement School District, a state-run turnaround district that has been the subject of intense debate and is now being phased out. The school sits in the Raleigh neighborhood of north Memphis, a part of the city with a housing market that is notably more affordable than the national and state averages. A family moving into the area will find home values well below the typical U.S. level, and rents also come in lower than what is seen in many other parts of the country. The school itself is a regular school, not a magnet or alternative program, and it draws its student body from the surrounding community.
On state assessments, the academic results are low. In math, reading, science, and social studies, the share of students scoring proficient or above is in the teens or low twenties. When compared against other districts within Shelby County, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is a consistent pattern across all tested subjects and grades. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and state data on chronic absenteeism was not available. A parent considering this school will want to understand that the academic baseline is well below the county median, and they may want to ask the school directly about its instructional strategies and any recent progress.
The student population is large for a pre-K through eight school, with a heavy concentration in the elementary and middle grades. The vast majority of students are Black, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students, a small number of students identifying as two or more races, and very few white students. The school does not report the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor the number of students with disabilities or English learners, so a family cannot gauge those specific supports from the available data. The school is a charter, meaning it operates with some autonomy from the local district but remains publicly funded and accountable to the state.
The most significant change on the horizon is the dissolution of the Achievement School District itself. In spring 2025, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill to replace the ASD with a tiered intervention system, effective in the 2026-27 school year. All remaining ASD schools, including Journey Coleman, will be transferred back to the local district, which in Memphis is Memphis-Shelby County Schools. This means the governance structure that families and staff have experienced for the past several years will end. The ASD has shrunk dramatically over the past few years, from over two dozen schools to just three as of the 2024-25 school year, with most having already returned to local control or closed. A 2024 Brown University study found that the ASD did not produce significant improvements in test scores or graduation rates, a finding that informed the decision to dissolve the district. For families currently at Journey Coleman, the transition to MSCS will bring a new set of district policies, leadership, and potentially a different curriculum or support system. The school’s future as a charter may also be up for renegotiation under the new arrangement.
The broader Memphis context offers a range of cultural and civic resources, from the Mississippi Riverfront parks to the National Civil Rights Museum, but the school’s immediate neighborhood is a working-class area of the city. Public transit is available through MATA, and the city’s library system, parks, and sports venues are accessible. For a family weighing this school, the academic performance data and the coming governance change are the two most concrete factors to consider. The school serves a population that is almost entirely Black and low-income leaning, and the achievement levels are well below what the county’s stronger districts post. The dissolution of the ASD means that the school’s operations and support will look different in the near future, and parents should seek clarity from the school or from MSCS about what that transition will entail.
See more original research from School Decision →