Jackson Schools

Jackson Schools Education & Revitalization Project

Jackson, Tennessee (Madison County)

Ensuring a strong educational foundation through the renovation/new construction of two schools serving 1600 students including targeted curricula to help every student prepare for their future.

The Project

A lack of investment over the past 40 years has left East Jackson, TN suffering from high poverty (60+%), unemployment (3.4x national average), and urban blight. Jackson also lags the State of Tennessee in economic health.

Leaders in Jackson recognize that quality schools will be integral to the stability and growth of this revitalized community. As one symbol of the City’s commitment to rebuilding East Jackson’s predominantly African-American community, the new JCM Middle/High School will be built on the campus of, and named for, the historic Jackson Central Merry High School (JCM), the first desegregated school in Jackson.

At the new and renovated 132,870 SF JCM approximately 800 students will participate in one of four programs designed to provide nationally-recognized skills credentials and/or an A.A. degree in addition to a high school diplomas – all free to the students and their families.

Concurrently, a new 58,800 SF Madison Academic Magnet School (MAM) will be built on the campus of the University of Memphis-Lambuth. Students will take all honors, AP, and dual-enrollment classes at the University and receive college credits. To increase opportunities for low-income youth, 150 (25%) of the seats at MAM will be reserved for students living near the school in a neighborhood with a poverty rate of 37%.

Together, these two schools and their career-focused curricula will (1) prepare low-income youth for careers that will lift them out of poverty, (2) provide a skilled workforce ready to meet the needs of Jackson’s growing business community, and (3) serve as an anchor to solidify families and local Jackson neighborhoods as community redevelopment transforms them.

Community Impact

800 students per year attending the new JCM Middle/High School with focus on career planning, education, and apprenticeships.

600 students per year attending Madison Academic Magnet Hight School, with 150 (25%) of the seats reserved for students living around the school, an area with a 37% poverty rate.

Reduced student/teacher ratios.

The Schools will support overall redevelopment and blight remediation efforts in District 1.

Student relocation to the new JCM creates space for Jackson’s Workforce Development Center. 250 students and local residents will be trained annually in Advanced Manufacturing and Health Sciences skills.