About one in four of Tennessee’s K-12 public schools were rated D or F on Thursday under a new grading system that may impose corrective action and audits on those underperforming schools.

The statewide breakdown shows 294 schools or about 17% received As, 441 or about 26% received Bs, 513 or 30% received Cs, 350 or about 21% received Ds, and 92 schools accounting for 5% received Fs. Another 210 schools were not graded because of “data suppression and business rules,” the education department told The Tennessean.

The new A-F grades are designed to simplify the school accountability system and increase transparency for parents, though critics contend it relies too heavily on proving proficiency on standardized tests.

“School letter grades will provide Tennessee families with a clear rating system that gives them a snapshot of how their child’s school is performing,” Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds wrote in a prepared statement. “No matter what your school’s letter grade is, everyone can play a role in supporting the success of our students and the success of our schools by engaging with your local school communities and joining the conversation.”

Officials with the Tennessee Education Association, which represents educators, immediately attacked the results as unfair, and complained they like the previous system better that takes into account absences, graduation rates, and other factors. The new letter grades are based on academic achievement, student growth, and academic improvement for students in each school’s bottom 25%. High schools are also graded on college and career readiness, WMC reports.

“It’s insulting to students, parents, educators and communities to label our schools with a single letter grade weighted heavily on a flawed high-stakes standardized test,” TEA President Tanya Coates said in a statement. “It is impossible to capture the hard work of Tennessee students and educators with such a simplistic rating.”

About half of Tennessee schools rated F come are in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which included about 20% of the district’s schools.

Only nine MSCS schools received an A, while about 43% received either a D or F.

The dismal student performance highlighted by the new grades prompted excuses from school officials, who pointed to the 60% of students who are economically disadvantaged, and roughly half of 5-year-olds who are not ready for kindergarten.

“How children live is connected to how they learn,” MSCS Interim Superintendent Toni Williams told WMC. “HSCS has dedicated educators and counselors who work tirelessly to promote a holistic approach to wellness and achievement. This dedication deserves recognition beyond a single letter grade.”

It was a similar reaction from officials and educators at Knox County Schools, where four schools received an F and 19 received an A, according to Knox News.

“I want to be clear that although we applaud the legislature’s intent to increase transparency, I do not believe a school’s impact can be summarized by a single score,” Knox Superintendent Jon Rysewyk wrote in an email to parents on Tuesday.

“We made historic improvements in third grade reading and saw math scores rebound to pre-COVID-19 achievement levels,” he wrote. “These gains not only speak to the hard work and dedication of our students and families, they are proof that, together, we are making progress.”

Several educators in the Knox County district echoed others in the public school system who complain about socioeconomic conditions and staffing challenges.

“The biggest predictor of academic success is the ZIP code,” Cedar Bluff Middle School teacher Dave Gorman told Knox News. “The letter grades don’t take into account what’s the socio-economic environment of the school.”

While the new letter grades, which are presented alongside results from the state’s former 1-4 rating system, are giving parents more insight into academic performance, state lawmakers are pushing to give those parents other options.

Gov. Bill Lee launched an effort in November to expand school choice in The Volunteer State next legislative session. State House Education Committee Chairman Mark White, R-Germantown, told The Tennessean last month he plans to introduce legislation in 2024 to expand the state’s Education Savings Account program statewide, following the lead of numerous states that have moved toward universal school choice in recent years.

The program, which launched last year after a three-year legal battle, currently provides low- and middle-income families with nearly $9,000 in state per-pupil funding to attend private or parochial schools of their choice.

“It’s about what is best for the individual child,” White told the news site. “Education is about educating each student, not about private, public, charter, homeschooling; it’s about educating the student.”