Tennessee’s two largest school districts, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Memphis-Shelby County Schools, posted historic academic growth for the fourth year in a row, earning the state’s top rating on student progress in 2025, according to new Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) results.

Hamilton County Schools (HCS) appointed new leaders Monday to positions the district considers key to supporting students, teachers and school principals.

In a news release sent to the Tennessee Firefly, the district said each leader represents its ongoing commitment to student success, strong instructional leadership, and inclusive school environments that support student growth.

District leaders say the program has been such a success they’re now eyeing two expansions, beginning with the new North River Future Ready Center set to open at the current location of Sequoyah High School in the 2025-26 school year.

Members of the Hamilton County School Board unanimously voted the Tennessee Wildflower’s application down on Thursday, along with a proposal for the Little Kings and Queens Charter Academy.

During Thursday’s meeting, Board Chair Joe Smith asked Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson what the impact would be if the district reduced the number of benchmark tests given from three per year, to two or even one per year.

A welder, a sixth-grade teacher who’s been on the job 14-years, and a first-grade teacher who expanded a forest learning program are the Tennessee school district’s three 2025 Teachers of the Year.

On Thursday, school board members took up a proposed change to the policy, which would prohibit students from possessing a wireless device on campus during the regular school day. 

Hamilton County Schools students will soon play a role in renovating the center to gain more workforce experience, a recent district announcement said.

The Hamilton County Schools (HCS) Board of Education passed a resolution on Thursday urging Tennessee lawmakers to oppose the expansion of school vouchers that would allow more parents in the state to use public funds for private school enrollment.

Five Tennessee school districts across the state received letters of intent for 17 proposed new public charter schools by last week’s deadline. Letters of intent are the first official step in next year’s new start charter application process.

The Hamilton County Schools Board of Education will vote next week to finalize an updated district facilities plan to establish a new career and technical education (CTE) center and combine some schools under one facility, among other proposals.

Hamilton County Schools will move forward with a plan to provide transportation to early voting sites for students who are eligible to vote, despite some debate about the initiative among Republican and Democrat board members at Thursday’s school board meeting.

SouthEast Bank announced a three-year investment of $154,500 into Chattanooga public charter schools Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy and the Montessori Elementary at Highland Park to help hire new teaching assistants and fund a new scholarship.

Read more about how these Tennessee charter schools are serving students.

Several parents and community members spoke to Hamilton County Schools leaders about school safety concerns at Thursday’s school board meeting following a recent string of threats against schools throughout the district.

Read more about what they told the Tennessee school district.

Hamilton County Schools recently teamed up with the healthcare provider Erlanger Health System to open a School-Based Health Center at Howard Connect Academy.

The Hamilton County school board updated its policy to allow school nurses to provide emergency care to students without parental consent, in response to a new Tennessee law requiring parental permission for non-emergency treatment. The law was initially aimed at restricting gender-affirming care but has broader implications, such as needing consent for basic medical care. The board unanimously passed the update to ensure emergency situations are addressed promptly. Additionally, the board approved funding for a new staff position to manage legislative updates and advocate for school funding, despite some opposition.

The Hamilton County Schools Board of Education voted 8-0 to approve a $663 million revised budget during Thursday’s special called meeting.

A heated debate over Hamilton County Schools’ proposed $674 million budget led to a failed vote to reinstate it on the agenda. The school board will revisit the issue in June.

Hamilton County Schools became the latest in a growing number of Tennessee school districts that are joining a national lawsuit against social media companies for allegedly targeting students.School board members unanimously voted Thursday night to join the suit against social media giants including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube.The lawsuit argues these companies are deliberately targeting students and young people for commercial gain and fostering antisocial behavior through things such as insufficient parental controls and the way platforms are designed to expose children to harmful content.