Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy wins National IMPACT Award

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy is officially on the national stage — and for all the right reasons.

The all-girls public charter school has been named a winner of the 2025 Building Hope IMPACT Award in the Community Engagement category.

It’s the academy’s first time winning the award, after being named a semifinalist just last year.

Even more impressive?

They’re the only school in Tennessee to take home an award this year.

“It’s great to be recognized here in Chattanooga,” expressed Dr. Elaine Swafford, the school’s executive director. “From the beginning, we knew that in order to truly thrive, we had to become a part of the community — not just a school within it.”

Building Hope is a national nonprofit that supports charter schools across the country.

Its IMPACT Awards highlight schools that go above and beyond — not just in academics, but in innovation, student empowerment, and how they engage with their communities.

Sherilyn Moore, Chief Impact Officer at Building Hope, explained that the awards are about shining a light on schools doing exceptional work.

“It’s both about who you bring into the building and how far you reach out into the community,” she elaborated. “What CGLA is doing for their students — from internships to ACT prep and medical care — is nothing short of inspiring.”

As a winner, CGLA could receive up to $20,000 in grant funding at the IMPACT Summit this May.

The funds are unrestricted, which gives schools freedom to invest in whatever matters most to their mission.

And at CGLA, there are plenty of areas that could benefit.

Dr. Swafford described just a few: “Every time we put our girls on a bus for workplace mentoring, it costs us about $250. We do that every single month. We also cover ACT costs for students — sometimes they’ll take it eight times to get that perfect score for a scholarship. Every dollar goes right back into our girls.”

The school, which serves grades 6 through 12, has built a strong foundation through both academics and outreach.

Ninety-five percent of students identify as BIPOC, and the curriculum is centered around STEAM — science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math.

It was also Tennessee’s first public school designed just for young women.

“From day one, we were intentional,” Dr. Swafford recalled. “When I arrived 13 years ago, we were on the state’s closure list. But in just nine months, we went from the bottom five percent to the top five percent. That didn’t happen by accident. It’s about urgency, purpose, and love for the kids.”

In addition to strong academics, CGLA integrates real-world experiences and wellness into their model.

A medical clinic operates on campus.

A monthly mentoring program places students in local businesses to learn directly from professionals.

And a community park — the BlueCross Healthy Place — is shared between the school and the neighborhood.

“These girls can walk into a company, a hospital, a design firm — and see who they could become,” said Dr. Swafford. “It’s about showing them the world and reminding them they belong in it.”

Moore shared that Building Hope’s IMPACT Awards received applications from 38 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico this year.

“To see a school like CGLA rise to the top — it gives us all hope,” she said. “They are what’s going right in education.”

CGLA may have started as a turnaround story.

But now, they’re the model.