Premium

15 Memphis schools could close as part of plan to improve buildings

By , Daily Memphian Updated: January 04, 2026 3:24 PM CT | Published: December 18, 2025 4:00 AM CT

A major effort to “invest in, modernize, and right-size” Memphis-Shelby County Schools campuses would produce more school closures and new attendance zones for students across the city and county, according to a newly minted “facilities roadmap” obtained and reviewed by The Daily Memphian. 

Recommended large-campus renovations and athletics facility upgrades are also part of the proposal, a draft document projecting how the district should study, approach and alter its footprint throughout the next 3-5 years. 

This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.

Topics

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Roderick Richmond Unlock 2025 Subscriber Only

Thank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization with a hybrid business model, we rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and miscellaneous earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).

Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today. 

👉 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.

👉 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.

We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.

Laura Testino

Laura Testino

Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here