Interest in Jewish day school education is rising across the US as parents found new options to deal with the COVID19 pandemic and grapple with the aftermath of October 7th. In Nashville, enrollment in Jewish day schools is accelerating and increasing demand. At the Akiva School, which serves grades K-6, enrollment grew steadily over the past few years leading local leaders to begin considering plans for a unique expansion. Rabba Daniella Pressner, head of school at Akiva, says, “We have a unique opportunity in this world to engage, enrich and enliven our children’s Jewish identities and souls and there is no greater place to do it than a city that has been so deeply committed to Jewish education for the past 70 years.”
The Jewish Middle School (JMS), created in 2013 to serve grades 5-8, has seen steady growth. JMS continues to operate in area congregations, currently residing at Congregation Sherith Israel. And just three years ago, the community welcomed the addition of another school, Kehilla High School, serving grades 9-11.
These decade long developments have seen enrollment in Nashville’s Jewish day schools grow from fewer than 60 students to over 170 across grades K-11. With Kehilla ready to graduate its first senior class in 2026 and Akiva School’s long track record, community leaders felt it was time to enrich and broaden the city’s K-12 Jewish educational experience. Rabbi Saul Strosberg, head of school and founder of JMS, says, “The merger of Nashville's community Jewish day-schools will allow us to leverage our most talented faculty, fiscal resources, and the programs themselves to better serve Nashville's Jewish leaders of tomorrow.” He says a combined school will also provide more class options, including electives and accelerated learning as well as more extracurricular activities.
To determine next steps, a task force was created, charged with conducting a feasibility study aimed at exploring the potential colocation and merger of the three schools. The task force is a collaborative effort by the leadership of Akiva School, JMS and Kehilla High School. The decision was made early on not to include Kehilla in the first financial analysis. “We wanted to be intentional and move forward strategically, one step at a time,” says Didi Biesman, one of the task force’s co-chairs.
Top priorities included assessing not just the financial feasibility of the project, but also the demand for a combined school. “We want to measure interest in a K-8 Jewish school and ensure our forecasts are accurate. Along with enrollment, we will study donor interest,” says Biesman. She adds that the task force is are excited to have the endorsement from the Nashville Board of Rabbis.
The task force engaged the assistance of a consultant to create the yearlong plan. Biesman says, “He came highly recommended from Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools and has extensive experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors.” Phase 1 of the study is completed and according to the task force, the analysis revealed financial benefits of a combined entity with shared resources, such as faculty, administration and operational efficiencies, with a shared focus on the school’s core values. “The continuity of a K-12 education allows for a meaningful streamlined curriculum with expansion of academic and extracurricular offerings. This strengthens the cohesiveness of our Jewish community,” says Biesman.
Parents also are looking forward to a more robust educational experience for their children. Marc Steinberg and his family moved to Nashville last summer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although they had never sent their children to Jewish day school, they were pleased with what they saw at Akiva and JMS, which also suited their family’s lifestyle. “Once we decided on Akiva, we also decided to try JMS largely out of convenience, such as same school breaks, and we were impressed by the faculty there. It seems to suit our 7th grader very well and he is thriving in the small environment.” Still Nashville’s growth made it often difficult to shuttle between the two schools. And Steinberg says the combination of resources would only add value, “If they were combined into one campus it would be a HUGE time saver for us and many other families. I think it would also benefit the middle school students to have a more "proper" school campus instead of a few rooms in a synagogue. I imagine it would help with security as well.”
The results of Phase 1 were shared with the Akiva School and upper school boards, and they approved the start of Phase 2. Phase 2 of the study will focus on engaging the broader community through focus groups to assess interest and gather feedback. These discussions will also explore the possibility of constructing an upper school facility on the Gordon JCC campus.
Moving forward the task force has many challenges, chief among them is constructing a new school. “Many details would need to be ironed out should we determine that the merged schools could be viable. We are being extremely intentional and strategic in our approach,” says Libby Werthan, co-chair of the task force. She adds, “There will also be discussions to explore the possibility of constructing an upper school facility on the Gordon JCC campus.”
Pressner, says the timing is right to consider next steps in a community known for its dedication to Jeiwsh learning. “This is a city with a deep commitment to chesed (lovingkindness) and a city known for its creative and collaborative spirit. I cannot think of a more important time to teach our children about our commitment to their future.”
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