Two approved Middle Tennessee charter schools have postponed their planned openings because they could not secure buildings, highlighting a barrier that state education officials are weighing as more operators seek to launch campuses in Nashville.
The Rock Academy, designed to serve at-risk students in Nashville, and Rocketship Public Schools’ planned fourth campus in Rutherford County had intended to open for the 2026-27 school year. Both received approval last year but delayed those plans after unsuccessful searches for facilities.
The setbacks were among the issues discussed Thursday at a Tennessee Public Charter School Commission panel focused on buildings and financing. Commission Chair Chris Richards described facilities as the most persistent challenge the agency hears about from new schools.
The discussion comes as the commission prepares to consider applications from four proposed Nashville charter schools Friday. The state body oversees a portfolio of 30 schools across Nashville, Memphis, Rutherford County and Jackson, including 16 in Davidson County.
For families, the two delayed campuses illustrate an important distinction between a school receiving authorization and being ready to welcome students. Operators must still secure a suitable location and financing before they can deliver on an opening schedule.
Charter schools receive public funding but are privately operated, with responsibility for their own finances and day-to-day management. Finding a building puts operators in the position of navigating real estate, renovation and lending decisions alongside their educational work.
Eric Dailey, executive director of Rocketship Tennessee, identified two main obstacles: a limited supply of appropriate properties and difficulty persuading lenders to finance projects costing millions of dollars.
Building a school from scratch is expensive, Dailey said, so operators frequently search for existing properties that can be renovated for classrooms and other educational uses. Even after finding a possible location, a new school must demonstrate to lenders that it can support the project financially.
Dailey also said growth in the commission’s school portfolio has increased competition for facilities and financing. He emphasized the importance of avoiding commitments to families that a school cannot fulfill.
Enrollment expectations are another part of the financing equation. Jana Lavin, a charter school facility consultant, said new Tennessee charter schools often enroll fewer students than their budgets anticipate, complicating efforts to show that they can afford a building.
She pointed to Jackson Museum School, which opened for the 2026-27 school year with 118 students after budgeting for 160. Lavin urged operators to base enrollment forecasts on evidence of likely attendance rather than assumptions about how expressions of interest will translate into students in classrooms.
Because enrollment drives revenue, those projections matter to lenders as well as school leaders. Lavin said operators need to demonstrate that they can attract the students required to support their financial plans.
A new facilities fund offers one avenue of assistance. The Tennessee Charter School Center launched the fund in September to help schools acquire and expand facilities, using a $5 million state allocation matched by philanthropic support. A center survey estimated that charter schools statewide would face $72 million in facilities costs over the next five years.
Tennessee has allocated more than $100 million for charter school facilities since 2017, including a one-time $20 million allocation for all charter schools in 2025.
Emily Lilley, a vice president at the center, said operators also need clearer state guidance when selecting neighborhoods and evaluating real estate decisions. She proposed allowing charter schools to access local government funding allocated for traditional public schools, in addition to state assistance.
That proposal intersects with a broader funding dispute in Nashville. Metro Nashville Public Schools officials have said the state’s share of district funding has declined, leaving the city to shoulder more of the cost. They have identified voucher expansion and new state-authorized charter schools as two factors diverting state money from MNPS.
Friday’s scheduled votes concern new school applications. Thursday’s discussion underscored the separate financial and property decisions that can determine whether an approved school ultimately opens on schedule.