Two schools in Memphis, Tenn., will close their doors at the end of this school year.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that KIPP Memphis Preparatory Elementary and KIPP Memphis Preparatory Middle will not reopen for the 2020-21 school year.
The schools will close on June 30, per the release. Both schools are part of the state-run Achievement School District.
KIPP cited financial hardships because of Covid-19 as a factor in the closure decision. The pandemic "prevented opportunities for the schools to receive long-term funding from...philanthropic resources."
“While the community welcomed our network with open arms, we’ve been unable to fulfill our academic promise to our students, teachers and families,” says James Boyd, chairman of the KIPP Memphis board of directors. “We strongly believe this decision is in the best interest of our KIPP Memphis community and is a step in the right direction to improve our organization’s ability to build a stronger network of schools.”
The closures leave around about students looking for new schools: Preparatory Elementary has 394 students and Preparatory Middle has 307, a KIPP spokesperson says.
KIPP Memphis Collegiate Schools will continue to operate its five other schools:
- KIPP Memphis Collegiate Elementary
- KIPP Memphis Academy Elementary
- KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle
- KIPP Memphis Academy Middle
- KIPP Memphis Collegiate High
