The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Social studies. The lowest is 8% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brick Church: a Lead Public School
Brick Church: A LEAD Public School is a middle school in Nashville serving fifth through eighth grade. It operates as a public charter school, and for the 2023-24 school year it was part of the Achievement School District, a state-run turnaround district created to take over low-performing schools. That context is critical for understanding this school, because the ASD itself has been dissolved by the Tennessee legislature and will cease to exist before the 2026-27 school year. Brick Church has already been returned to Metro Nashville Public Schools, meaning its governance has changed from state-run to local district oversight. The school has no magnet designation and the data does not indicate Title I status, though given the district context a reader would reasonably expect a high-needs population.
State testing results for 2023-24 show low proficiency rates across all tested subjects, with math and English language arts both falling below one in five students scoring proficient or above. Science and social studies results are similarly low. These figures reflect the school's history as part of the ASD, which was itself the subject of a 2024 Brown University study finding that the state-run model did not significantly improve student outcomes. Compared to other districts within Davidson County, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of the small group of districts included in that comparison, but the strongest point in that range is held by another entity entirely.
The student body is small for a middle school, and the demographic composition is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic minority and a very small white population. The school does not report the share of students who are English learners or who receive special education services, which is an important gap for any family trying to understand the full support landscape. A parent may want to ask the school directly about those numbers and how programs are structured.
The school sits in Nashville, a rapidly growing state capital and the largest city in Tennessee. The housing market in this part of the city reflects the broader Nashville area, where home values have seen a recent modest decline but remain at a level that has historically made the city increasingly expensive compared to many other parts of the state. Rental costs have edged up slightly. Nashville is a major employment center anchored by healthcare, music, publishing, technology, and state government, with headquarters including HCA Healthcare, Bridgestone Americas, and multiple universities. The city's growth has been among the fastest in the country, with a metro population that continues to expand. Transit is primarily car-dependent, though bus service and a regional rail line exist.
The district brief clarifies that the ASD's dissolution followed years of contraction. During the 2021-22 school year the ASD operated many schools, but by 2024-25 it had dwindled to just three, with Brick Church already having returned to Metro Nashville Public Schools. The legislative decision to dissolve the district was informed by research that found the turnaround model had not delivered meaningful academic improvement. For families considering Brick Church, the key practical takeaway is that the governance structure they experienced before has been replaced, and the school now operates under a different authority with a different set of district-level priorities and resources. The school's academic performance numbers are low, and the school's own future will depend heavily on what happens under Metro Nashville Public Schools administration. A family looking at Brick Church should ask what changes the new district has planned for curriculum, staffing, and student support now that the ASD era is over.
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