Haywood Middle School in Brownsville, Tennessee, is officially getting a last day of class. The school will permanently close at the end of the year, with May 22, 2026 set as the final day after district leaders cited chronic facility problems and failing statewide performance ratings. Superintendent Amie Marsh recommended the closure in a March letter to families, arguing that the building’s condition and repeated school transitions were hurting students’ learning and behavior. The district says students will be reassigned within Haywood County and that staff positions will be preserved as the system reorganizes for next year.
In a letter sent March 26, Marsh wrote that the school building “has reached a level of disrepair that makes it increasingly more challenging to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment,” according to WBBJ/Action News 5. The station reports the district also warned that students were moving through multiple school buildings during their K–9 pipeline, a pattern leaders labeled “detrimental” to both academic and social development.
How the state graded the school
Haywood Middle earned an overall “F” under Tennessee’s A–F system for both the 2024 and 2025 performance metrics, a result driven by low achievement and growth scores. The Tennessee Department of Education outlines how those letter grades are calculated and which indicators count, and education trackers list Haywood Middle as an “F”; see the Tennessee Department of Education and Tennesseans for Student Success for the district-level listings and methodology.
Where students and staff will go
Haywood County Schools has recommended that third through fifth graders move to East Side Elementary while students in grades 6–8 are assigned to Sunny Hill. The district says the closure will not trigger staff layoffs and that existing employees will be retained during the reorganization. That guidance, along with the superintendent’s letter and parent instructions, was published by LocalMemphis/WATN.
Board sign-off and next steps
District spokespeople told local media that the Haywood County school board approved the closure after Marsh’s recommendation, clearing the way for the shutdown plan to move forward. Administrators are expected to lay out transportation, registration and summer-program details in the coming weeks. Brownsville Radio covered Marsh’s March testimony before the Tennessee State Board of Education and the sequence of events that led to the local board’s action.
What families should expect
The district says it will provide more specific information on bus routes, enrollment procedures and summer services before the fall term begins, and it is urging families to keep a close eye on school board notices and official district channels for updates. For background on the A–F system that helped inform the decision and for the district’s regular announcements, see the Tennessee Department of Education’s guidance and the community news page at Haywood County Schools.
