Fifth grade is on its way out at two Nashville charter schools, after the Metro Nashville Board of Public Education signed off on an emergency plan to shrink the schools in response to falling enrollment and slipping test scores.
On Tuesday, the board approved emergency petitions from Nashville Prep and Liberty Collegiate Academy that will eliminate fifth grade and cut overall enrollment caps starting in the 2026–27 school year. Both campuses have seen steep drops in student numbers alongside a downturn in state assessment results.
According to the Nashville Banner, Nashville Prep enrolled 161 students this past year, with just 13 of them in fifth grade, and will reduce its enrollment cap from 377 to 168. Liberty Collegiate Academy enrolled 129 students, including 15 fifth-graders, and will cut its cap from 454 to 162. District projections for 2026–27 showed only eight fifth-graders at Nashville Prep and two at Liberty Collegiate, which triggered the emergency push to change the grade spans.
Board vote and district plans
District records show the board signed off unanimously on both emergency petitions at its Tuesday evening meeting. Staff from Metro Nashville Public Schools told the board that seats have already been identified for affected students at their zoned elementary schools, and that the district will coordinate enrollment and transportation so families are not left scrambling.
Officials said the emergency amendment process allows MNPS and the charter operator to make operational changes faster than waiting for a full charter renewal or a potential closure review, a key reason the network pursued this route.
Academic slide behind the move
The enrollment crunch is only part of the story. State assessment data show both campuses have taken a clear academic hit. After years of stronger growth, their TVAAS results dropped to level 1 in 2024–25 and their Tennessee accountability letter grades fell to a D at Liberty Collegiate and an F at Nashville Prep, according to the Nashville Banner.
School officials told the board that the academic slide was central to the decision to seek emergency changes. With shrinking cohorts, both board members and charter leaders said operating a single fifth-grade classroom at each campus had become financially and educationally unsustainable.
About the network
Nashville Prep and Liberty Collegiate Academy are both operated by RePublic Schools, a charter network that runs campuses in Nashville and Jackson, Mississippi, and opened the two middle schools in 2011, according to RePublic Schools. The network has highlighted periods of strong TVAAS growth in earlier years and has said it will work with MNPS and families to place affected students and to adjust staffing and transportation plans for 2026–27. RePublic did not provide a longer public statement on the emergency petitions at the time of the vote.
Parents of current fourth- and fifth-graders are expected to receive direct communication from their school or from MNPS in the coming weeks with details on new school assignments and transportation. Families with questions can contact their school leader or review the Metro Board’s meeting documents for the official petitions and vote record.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)