Emerald Academy: An education gem in Knoxville
By: Doug Harris
Originally published by Knox News, January 8, 2025
In 2014, Emerald Youth Foundation and newly formed nonprofit Emerald Charter Schools set out to do something that had never been achieved in Knoxville at scale: eliminating the chasm between the academic outcomes for urban and suburban youth. The following year, they opened Emerald Academy in Mechanicsville.
A decade later, the results are undeniable: Emerald Academy’s 450 scholars, spanning kindergarten through eighth grade, are closing this gap – and there’s a waitlist for every grade. Here are the facts, including 2023-24 outcomes:
The percentage of scholars performing on or above grade level increased by 40% in the past four years.
Emerald Academy’s middle school reading proficiency ranks at the 50th percentile among all Knox County middle schools. The school has the highest percentage of Black students reading on or above grade level in sixth and eighth grades among all Knox County middle schools.
The percentage of Emerald Academy’s minority and economically disadvantaged scholars who are on or above grade level has exceeded their peers across Knox County and Tennessee’s three other large metropolitan school districts for three consecutive years.
Emerald Academy achieved Level 4 academic growth, meaning scholars’ growth exceeded expectations.
This January, the Knox County Board of Education will vote on renewing Emerald Academy for another 10 years. A recent Knox News article aptly claimed that charter schools are not held to the same standard as their traditional public-school counterparts. Indeed, they are not. They are held to a much higher standard of review. No other public school’s academic, cultural, operational and financial outcomes have been examined under a public microscope every year for the past decade by the entire Knox County Board of Education. Emerald Academy is not only meeting but exceeding that standard. Knox County Schools’ most recent evaluation rated Emerald Academy’s performance compared to the urban schools most of its scholars would otherwise attend. The score: a perfect 4 out of 4. None of the above acknowledges the life changes and countless stories that take place at the school each day and have lifelong ripple effects, not just for city families but for our entire community.
Examples of this are innumerable, but here are a few:
Recently, the school sent half of its eighth graders to high school having completed Algebra I in eighth grade, putting them on track for advanced, college-preparatory math classes in high school.
Emerald Academy alumni are attending colleges and universities like the University of Tennessee, the University of Virginia, and Howard University, among others.
And perhaps inspired by their children’s own college plans, Emerald Academy parents have been moved to make their own career changes and pursue or complete a degree.
From my vantage point as a former school board chair, innovative solutions like Emerald Academy are a no-brainer. I applaud this work and know the next decade will continue to bring excellent results.
Doug Harris is a Knoxville business owner and a former chair of the Knox County Board of Education.