Families attending Libertas School of Memphis will no longer have to leave the public charter school when they reach high school. On Friday, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission unanimously approved Libertas to open a high school in Memphis’ Frayser community on the same campus as its existing K-8 grade school.¶
The decision was the first under a new state law that allows successful charter schools to apply directly to the commission to replicate their school model, bypassing their district’s school board.¶
The Libertas School of Memphis currently serves elementary and middle school students using the Montessori educational model. The school’s executive director, Bob Nardo, spoke to the commission during a public hearing on April 1, where parents expressed their support for keeping their children in the Libertas system into high school.¶
The Libertas Replication
Libertas School of Memphis aims to replicate its Montessori model for high school students beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, with a focus on career readiness and community involvement. Nardo told commissioners during the public hearing that the replication was needed because there are no high schools with a success rate above 25 percent available to students in the Libertas community.¶
Praise From the Commission
Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Executive Director Tess Stovall voiced her approval of Libertas’s application while presenting findings to the commission of a review of the school’s application before the vote.
“I found that this replication application meets or exceeds the standards of the state scoring rubric,” Stovall said. “It is due to a clear, detailed plan for expanding to the high school, a long history of academic, organizational, and financial success at its current campus, and strong operational and financial capabilities.”¶
A few commission members also praised the school’s application, including commission chair Chris Richards.¶
“This application is remarkable in its thoroughness, its thoughtfulness, and its anticipation of problems and presentation of contingency plans in the event that there are problems,” Richards said. “They have a very definite plan for how they are going to help students who come from other backgrounds (and) enroll in the high school to adjust to their learning model and take advantage of the opportunities.”¶
In its first year, the new high school will serve only ninth-grade students with a projected enrollment of 55. By year five, it is projected to serve 250 students from grades nine through 12.¶
