Memphis-Shelby County Schools is getting the final word on Tennessee's school takeover experiment. The district will resume control of the last two campuses still under the state-run Achievement School District, with Hillcrest High and Kirby Middle scheduled to return to local oversight before the 2026-27 school year. District leaders say transition planning is already underway, and families in southeast Memphis should expect changes in who governs and staffs the schools when the handover takes effect for the next academic year.
What the law requires
The shift is driven by 2025 legislation that orders the Tennessee Department of Education to put a transition plan in place to close the ASD and release all schools assigned to it before the start of the 2026-27 school year. The law creates a tiered intervention system for "priority" schools and lays out options that include district-led turnaround, charter conversion, or more intensive state action. As outlined by the Tennessee General Assembly, the department must approve school improvement plans and monitor progress under the new framework.
Which campuses are moving
Hillcrest High and Kirby Middle, both listed as priority campuses in 2025, are the final ASD schools slated to return to MSCS, according to the Daily Memphian. The transfers line up with state law deadlines and put local control back in place for the 2026-27 school year.
Who has been running them
The two campuses have been managed by a charter operator that traces its roots to Green Dot Public Schools and now operates in Tennessee as IOTA Community Schools, according to Chalkbeat. With contracts expiring, IOTA applied to keep running the schools either as district-authorized charters or under the state charter commission. Wooddale Middle had already shifted under the commission's oversight last year. The changing authorizers and contract fights underscored the political and practical tensions that followed the ASD throughout its time in Memphis.
What researchers say
Academic studies have thrown cold water on the ASD's results. A multiyear evaluation found "null effects" for ASD schools, while district-led "iZone" interventions produced measurable gains. Researchers pointed to high staff turnover as a likely factor. The finding, detailed in a 2020 analysis in AERA Open, is among the evidence lawmakers cited when they reshaped the state's approach to priority schools.
What it means for families and staff
For families and staff at Hillcrest and Kirby, the change will mean a new governing body and fresh implementation plans for academics and staffing. Local school board members previously rejected applications to convert those campuses into district-authored charters, a decision that can be appealed to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission under current law, as reported by the Daily Memphian. The statute requires stakeholder engagement, written implementation procedures, and monthly progress reports for certain interventions, which could shape hiring and program timelines during the transition.
Next steps and timeline
MSCS and state officials now have to coordinate a handover timeline as contracts run out and the district prepares its budgets and staffing plans for 2026-27. Charter operators, parents, and the district can use the appeals process run by the state commission if disputes surface. The commission has been a frequent arbiter of ASD-era school decisions, according to Chalkbeat. Once the department carries out the required transition plan, the ASD will stop operating as a separate state district.
