Crosstown High School, Memphis, TN

The Crosstown High design team was one of the largest and most diverse teams in the XQ Super School competition. Authorized by Shelby County Schools, Crosstown High opened in fall 2018 as a new charter school with 150 ninth-graders and will eventually grow to serve up to 550 students in grades 9-12. A diverse-by-design project-based school, Crosstown High School proves that innovation can happen anywhere. Housed in a renovated Sears office and distribution center, students focus on community contribution through community-connected projects. At Crosstown High, students take an active role in creating their own culture and community. In addition to choices related to academic projects, students can select “flex classes” that give them time to explore or cultivate interests like filmmaking and podcasting that may not show up in the classes on their transcript. Crosstown is designing the future of learning through diversity, location, culture and learning.