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Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School

Q: Is Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School a good school?

Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School ranks 719 th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 99 students attended Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School?

Students at Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School are 96% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

Public Grades K-8

719^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School is a very small K-8 campus in Memphis-Shelby County Schools that enrolls just 99 students and sits in a district ranked near the bottom of Tennessee districts. Despite that challenging context, the school earned 1 star and ranked 719th out of 1,019 Tennessee schools in 2025–2026 — its best statewide standing in at least eight years — and it outperforms its district in every tested subject: math, English language arts, science, and social studies.

Among the 10 nearby Memphis-Shelby County schools in its cluster, Ida B. Wells ranks second in statewide placement, behind only Rozelle Elementary. Most of its neighbors sit in the bottom 5–15% of Tennessee schools, making Ida B. Wells an academic standout in the immediate area. Social studies is a particular strength: 49% of students are proficient, nearly matching the state average of 51.4% and far exceeding the district's 28.7%. Seventh grade social studies is especially strong at 72.7% proficient, more than double the district rate. The school also has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the cluster at 20.7%, well below the district's 30.2% and close to the state's 18.3%.

Ida B. Wells Academy is also structurally unusual: it spends about $29,906 per student — roughly twice the average of nearby schools — and has a student-teacher ratio near 6:1. These resources appear to be paying off. Since 2022–2023, math proficiency has jumped from 10.3% to 26.8%, ELA from 6.8% to 31%, and chronic absenteeism has fallen from 46.9% to 20.7%. The school shows particular strength for African American students (53rd percentile statewide) and low-income students (45th percentile). However, female students rank in only the 10th percentile, and middle school results swing widely by grade — 6th grade math matches the state average while 7th grade math lags far behind. Despite the heavy investment, most subjects remain below statewide averages, so the school's rapid improvement is promising but still a work in progress.

Students ?

6.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,906

Per pupil spending ?

83.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

995 S Lauderdale St
Memphis, TN 38126

(901) 416-3210

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

96.0%

Two or more races:

3.0%

Hispanic:

1.0%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2018 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2018

✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (34% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 16 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg26%

Tennessee avg45%

Elementary school

719^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▲ up 22 pts since 2018

From bottom 8% (2018) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

411^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 24 pts since 2017

From top 45% (2017) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

40^th of 120Elementary Schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools

137^th of 141Memphis-Shelby County Schools among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	719 of 1019	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.7	877 of 1009	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	809 of 1018	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	941 of 1020	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	876 of 1000	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	821 of 983	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	816 of 985	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	922 of 997	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	233 of 498	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.1	341 of 498	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	294 of 498	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	386 of 500	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	306 of 483	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.8	258 of 411	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	248 of 404	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.5	366 of 450	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	883 of 986	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	965 of 990	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	936 of 989	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.7	905 of 945	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	897 of 926	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	450 of 823	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.1	638 of 843	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	732 of 853	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	785 of 865	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	809 of 858	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.7	705 of 823	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	710 of 821	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	764 of 877	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2019	10.8	878 of 916	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	33.8	411 of 594	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.9	475 of 583	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	467 of 587	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	534 of 594	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	533 of 569	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.0	519 of 576	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	463 of 574	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	446 of 563	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	53.3	163 of 362	55.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	143 of 328	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.1	183 of 312	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	171 of 318	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.4	241 of 316	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	248 of 299	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	218 of 277	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	180 of 293	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	137 of 284	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	447 of 546	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	484 of 554	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	522 of 560	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	492 of 552	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	480 of 538	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	419 of 529	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	58.2	161 of 478	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.1	290 of 490	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	321 of 510	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.5	431 of 514	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	459 of 495	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	419 of 483	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.8	324 of 490	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	229 of 481	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2023	20.9	448 of 557	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	449 of 523	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2026)53rd percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)10th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2019)4th percentile-13 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+26 vs school

Male (2023)20th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies49%~ state avg

Science33%-14 vs state

English Language Arts31%-10 vs state

Mathematics27%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School	Public	K-8	995 S Lauderdale St	Memphis	38126	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-3210	98	16	6.1	83.8%	0 (0.0%)	94 (95.9%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.1%)	33.2	719^th of 1019 public elementary schools	29.4%		15.7	877^th of 1009 public elementary schools	13.1%	158				40.0	18.2	25.0	26.8				13.3	36.4	8.3	31.0				33.3	27.3	25.0	32.9	40.0	72.7	16.7	49.0	$29,906	$1,375	$27,032
Larose Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	864 Willoughby Street	Memphis	38126	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7848	316	17	18.5	78.9%	0 (0.0%)	307 (97.2%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	5.9	989^th of 1019 public elementary schools	2.9%		4.4	1000^th of 1009 public elementary schools	0.9%	11	8.9	6.5	14.9				10.1	14.0	8.7	14.9				12.7	17.2	< 5%	19.1				13.9					$16,651	$1,606	$13,802
A. B. Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	345 East Olive Avenue	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7844	544	37	14.7	80.2%	3 (0.6%)	524 (96.3%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	8 (1.5%)	2.6	1018^th of 1019 public elementary schools	0.1%		3.6	1006^th of 1009 public elementary schools	0.3%	12	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%				< 5%	12.3	5.2	< 5%				5.6	7.0	12.1	< 5%				6.3					$14,480	$2,226	$11,177
Memphis Delta Preparatory School	Public, Charter	K-5	1237 College Street	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 251-1010	381	32	12.0	86.3%	0 (0.0%)	371 (97.4%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	6.9	978^th of 1019 public elementary schools	4.0%		7.3	973^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	3.6%	5	9.8	11.9	15.9				12.7	17.6	9.0	16.4				14.0	23.5	10.4	21.0				17.8					$7,538	$1,901	$5,271
Cummings Elementary/Middle School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	1037 Cummings St	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-7810	267	23	11.5	82.3%	0 (0.0%)	257 (96.3%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	5.6	995^th of 1019 public elementary schools	2.4%		8	962^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	4.7%	33	8.3	< 5%	11.1	7.3	< 5%	< 5%	5.6	13.9	< 5%	11.4	13.0	13.2	8.9	10.9	19.4	< 5%	16.7	7.1	7.4	7.0	9.3	8.9	13.0	14.0	11.8	$15,100	$1,238	$12,674
Circles Of Success Learning Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1299 E. McLemore	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 322-7978	217	11	19.7	78.5%	0 (0.0%)	216 (99.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28	774^th of 1019 public elementary schools	24.0%		20.5	836^th of 1009 public elementary schools	17.1%	62	27.3	< 5%	48.0				25.0	51.5	36.7	16.0				36.4	30.3	6.7	8.0				15.9					$16,131	$1,501	$14,264
Bruce Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	581 S Bellevue Blvd	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-4495	481	33	14.7	62.5%	9 (1.9%)	402 (83.6%)	54 (11.2%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.5%)	17	878^th of 1019 public elementary schools	13.8%		12.5	915^th of 1009 public elementary schools	9.3%	37	19.4	14.3	40.8				23.5	20.9	22.2	24.0				22.2	26.9	23.4	36.0				28.2					$15,528	$1,613	$12,743
Downtown Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	10 N 4th St	Memphis	38103	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-8400	762	44	17.3	61.9%	19 (2.5%)	701 (92.0%)	11 (1.4%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.3%)	8.6	950^th of 1019 public elementary schools	6.8%		17.9	861^st of 1009 public elementary schools	14.7%	89	8.7	15.2	18.4				14.0	18.6	32.3	14.6				22.3	13.7	19.2	13.6				15.7					$13,875	$1,496	$11,448
Hamilton School	Public	K-8	1478 Wilson Street	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7832	654	37	17.7	78.0%	3 (0.5%)	586 (89.6%)	52 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.0%)	2.6	1019^th of 1019 public elementary schools	0.0%		3.1	1007^th of 1009 public elementary schools	0.2%	12	< 5%	7.3	< 5%	< 5%	6.6	5.2	< 5%	11.3	7.5	5.4	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%	5.4	< 5%	9.1	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%	5.3	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%	5.2	< 5%	$13,150	$1,842	$10,428
Rozelle Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	993 Roland	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4612	227	21	11.0	68.0%	0 (0.0%)	221 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	38.7	649^th of 1019 public elementary schools	36.3%		14.2	896^th of 1009 public elementary schools	11.2%	247	25.9	34.5	25.8				28.7	37.0	51.7	41.9				43.7	33.3	51.7	38.7				41.4					$19,287	$1,415	$16,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School

Is Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School a good school?

Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School ranks 719^th of 1019 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 99 students attended Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School?

Students at Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School are 96% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

What district is Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresAug 25, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.