John P. Freeman Optional School, 5250 Tulane Road: grades K-8, 432 students in 2024-25, state letter grade C.

Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: John P. Freeman Optional School, Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ school directory, 2026-27 bell times (PDF), the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card, 2024-25 letter grade and school profile files and spring 2026 test file, and the federal NCES school directory.

John P. Freeman Optional School is a Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) school serving kindergarten through eighth grade, in the part of the city the district’s school map calls Whitehaven. It is one of the district’s Optional schools, listed in the 2026-27 Optional Schools Handbook under College Prep and Enriched Academics; Optional schools have entrance requirements and take applications through the district’s school choice process.

  • Address: 5250 Tulane Road, Memphis, TN 38109
  • Main office: 901-416-3156
  • Grades: K-8
  • School hours: 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times
  • Website: johnpfreeman-k8.scsk12.org

Who to call

  • Front office: 901-416-3156
  • Enrolling a new student: the school, with the district’s registration page; MSCS main line 901-416-5300
  • Optional school applications: the Optional Schools office, 901-416-5338
  • Buses: MSCS Transportation Services, which runs Find My Bus; the district says students who live outside the parent responsibility zone (1.5 miles for elementary, 2 miles for middle and high school) can ride to their zoned school

Principal

Principal Key Coleman, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment

The federal NCES directory counted 493 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 15 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 432 students.

State report card

Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”

From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file:

Measure John P. Freeman Optional School
Overall letter grade, 2024-25 C (score 3 of 5)
Achievement grade A
Academic growth grade F
Growth of the lowest-scoring 25% of students F
Overall success rate on state tests, 2024-25 58.1%

The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of John P. Freeman Optional School students in tested grades who met or exceeded expectations on TCAP: 56.6% in English language arts, 54.9% in math, 59.3% in science and 59.9% in social studies. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.

The State Report Card page for John P. Freeman Optional School holds the full detail: results by grade and subject, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

MSCS attendance zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Locator, which shows the zoned elementary, middle and high school, or see the district’s 2026-27 boundary maps for elementary, middle and high schools (PDFs).

John P. Freeman Optional School has no attendance zone of its own on the district’s 2026-27 zone map; students enroll through the district’s school choice process.

Our Whitehaven neighborhood guide covers the area around the school.

Calendar and school hours

The district’s 2026-27 student calendar, which MSCS says is pending approval by the Tennessee Department of Education, has these dates next:

  • Monday, Oct. 19: last day of fall break; students return Tuesday, Oct. 20
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 16-18: semester exams; Dec. 18 ends the first semester
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 4: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • March 15-19: spring break, with a second break March 26 and 29
  • Thursday, May 20, 2027: last day for students

Parent-teacher conferences run 4 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2027, for elementary schools. The school day runs 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times.

More

Frequently asked questions

What grades does John P. Freeman Optional School serve?

Kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is at 5250 Tulane Road in Memphis; the main office number is 901-416-3156.

What is John P. Freeman Optional School’s state report card grade?

John P. Freeman Optional School received a C overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

What time does John P. Freeman Optional School start?

School runs from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times.