Facility Challenges Force Public Charter School to Close, Despite Outperforming Every Other Donelson Middle School
Students in a STRIVE classroom that’s impacted by a support beam (Photo by Sky Arnold)
Lakendra Butler talking to the Tennessee Firefly in 2022 (Photo by Sky Arnold)
STRIVE Collegiate Academy’s students attend school each day in a facility that looks nothing like a normal school.
The public charter school operates out of a building complex in Donalson that originally served as a hospital.
“We were originally in the doctors’ offices complex, and now we’re in the hospital portion,” said school founder and principal Lakendra Butler in a 2024 profile on the school.
STRIVE staff have made the best of the property over the last decade, creating classrooms around structural pillars and even building an outdoor space for physical education. Their story of determination even played a role in the Tennessee General Assembly’s decision to make it easier for charters to obtain quality facilities, but the latest building challenge proved unsolvable.
Building Sale Leads to Closure
Exterior of STRIVE (Photo by Sky Arnold)
STRIVE leaders announced Wednesday that they’re planning to close the school at the end of the 2025-26 school year, in part because their building has been sold and the new owners are asking the school to vacate at the end of June. In a release sent to the Tennessee Firefly, Butler says the lack of other facility options in Donelson limits STRIVE’s ability to remain open without moving further away, which would in turn, reduce enrollment.
“I’m proud of our 11-year legacy that has met the educational needs and provided a robust educational experience for families,” said Butler. “Unfortunately, due to the sale of our building and adjustment in our grade level model, we’re now faced with an incredible challenge that necessitates the school’s closure.”
The grade level model Butler referenced relates to a decision in 2022 to align STRIVE with other MNPS middle schools by serving grades sixth through eighth. Previously, STRIVE also served fifth graders.
Butler says that change “significantly impacted” STRIVE’s enrollment. State data shows STRIVE’s attendance has dropped more than 40 percent since 2021.
High Level of Performance
STRIVE’s closure removes the highest-performing middle school option for families in the east Davidson County Donelson community.
STRIVE was the only middle school in the McGavock cluster to receive an A on the School Letter Grades last month, and its students scored higher proficiency rates in every subject on state testing. That included a nearly 20 percent higher proficiency in math than every other middle school in the cluster.
Those scores led the Tennessee Department of Education to name STRIVE a Reward school for the 2024-25 school year. The school also earned Reward school status during the 2021-22 school year.
The Metro Nashville Public School Board of Education voted to grant STRIVE a 10-year charter renewal last year.
Support for Parents
The STRIVE Board of Directors voted to proceed with the closure on December 30, 2025, and the school held meetings this week to inform parents.
STRIVE says its leaders are now working closely with the MNPS Office of Charter Schools and other public charter school operators to provide a smooth and consistent transition for families and educators next school year.
“STRIVE has demonstrated what is possible when dedicated educators and motivated students work together toward a shared vision. Year after year, our students achieve exceptional academic results, earn meaningful honors, and move on fully prepared to thrive in their years after STRIVE,” said Board Chair Scott Emerson. “We are incredibly proud of our staff, whose commitment, expertise, and heart make this level of excellence achievable.”
