Despite Millions In Funding, LeBron James' School Can't Pass A Single Eighth Grader In Math

Perhaps Lebron James should really stick to basketball as it has now been revealed that not even one eighth grader from the I Promise School founded by the basketball star has managed to pass the state math test in three years, causing many critics to call into question the promises made by the school. 

The school was founded back in 2018 in LeBron's home city of Akron, Ohio, and garnered massive media attention praising the sports player for his philanthropic move. Eventually, as it always does, media attention faded away from the school and it would seem that the commitment from James faded along with it.

A report from Yahoo! News shows that many school board members are questioning whether or not the school can live up to the big promises given by the superstar. The school intended to assist the lowest-performing students and help them get out of whatever rut they were stuck in. The idea is one of great intent, but it’s utterly useless if they don’t follow up. 

And from the academic data that was dug up, they’re not. The students at the school are testing in the bottom five percent of the state which has managed to land the school on the Ohio Department of Education’s list of schools requiring targeted intervention. Not a great start for a school that has just gotten to its fifth anniversary.

Across the board, students in all grades were testing in either single-digit or lower teen percentages for proficiencies in all subjects. On top of that, as students move up grades, they are seemingly becoming increasingly worse in their given subjects though COVID may have played some part in that.

Things are even worse when you consider that on top of the normal local, state, and federal funding that all other public schools receive, the school receives an additional $1.4 million each year from the LeBron James Family Foundation for additional tutors and teachers. The foundation even goes further, partnering with other organizations to give extra support to both students and parents.

Even with all the extra attention the school is receiving, the results are disappointing to board members. 

"For me as a board member, I just think about all the resources that we're providing," Derrick Hall said, president of the board. "And I just, I'm just disappointed that I don't think, it doesn't appear like we're seeing the kind of change that we would expect to see."

The school has clear issues that need to be addressed as currently the I Promise School is managing to fail on all of its promises. The idea seems to come from a good place but there are clear issues that need to be fixed before the publicity stunt from LeBron actually becomes a viable school to help those who struggle with academia.