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Cherokee Elementary

Q: Is Cherokee Elementary a good school?

Cherokee Elementary ranks 635 th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

635^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Cherokee Elementary is a public elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 368 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which is ranked 135 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cherokee Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Tennessee elementary schools, with its performance on state assessments significantly below the state and district averages across all grades and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, only 36.9% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 42.2% statewide and 22.6% in the Memphis-Shelby County district. The school's performance is particularly low for male students and English Language Learners, ranking in the bottom 25% of Tennessee elementary schools for these subgroups. Additionally, Cherokee Elementary has had high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 18.9% to 48.1% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state and district averages.

While the nearby schools, such as South Park Elementary, Getwell Elementary, and Sherwood Elementary, also perform poorly compared to the state, some schools, like Campus School, a public magnet school, perform significantly better, ranking in the top 5% of Tennessee elementary schools. The high rates of chronic absenteeism at Cherokee Elementary and the nearby schools are a significant concern and may be contributing to the low academic performance, despite the increased spending per student in recent years.

321

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,964

Per pupil spending ?

96.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3061 Kimball Ave
Memphis, TN 38114-4011

(901) 416-5028

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Students who attend Cherokee Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sherwood Middle
High:	Melrose High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

86.9%

Hispanic:

12.5%

American Indian:

0.3%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Cherokee Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2018 → 37th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2018

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (36% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 18% Tennessee)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg24%

Tennessee avg42%

635^th of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 27 pts since 2018

From bottom 10% (2018) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

135^th of 139Memphis-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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	635 of 1009	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.3	837 of 1018	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.8	1008 of 1020	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	963 of 1000	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	891 of 985	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	898 of 997	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	62.7	142 of 498	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	38.6	290 of 498	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.0	492 of 500	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	411 of 483	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	317 of 404	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	348 of 450	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	55.6	62 of 211	70.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	477 of 986	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.9	739 of 990	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	966 of 989	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	909 of 975	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	861 of 926	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	39.0	260 of 424	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	266 of 843	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	521 of 853	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.0	835 of 865	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	833 of 858	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	681 of 821	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	769 of 877	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	754 of 984	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	916 of 991	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	977 of 987	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	949 of 980	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	846 of 916	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)71st percentile+34 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)71st percentile+34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+31 vs school

Female (2025)52nd percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile~ school

Male (2025)23rd percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Science40%-6 vs state

Mathematics37%-5 vs state

English Language Arts32%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cherokee Elementary

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)							TNReady English Language Arts (2025)							TNReady Science (2025)							TNReady Social Studies (2025)				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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Cherokee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3061 Kimball Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5028	368	25	15.0		1 (0.3%)	329 (89.4%)	35 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	37.5	635^th of 1009 public elementary schools	37.1%		20.3	837^th of 1018 public elementary schools	17.8%	202	39.6	36.6	34.6				36.9	27.7	37.5	32.7				32.4	45.8	26.8	44.2				39.7					$16,964	$2,043	$13,386
Compass Community School Orange Mound Campus	Public, Charter	K-8	2718 Lamar AVE	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 743-6700	188	17	11.0		4 (2.1%)	121 (64.4%)	62 (33.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	14.4	893^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	11.5%		14.9	895^th of 1018 public elementary schools	12.1%	2	20.8		5.0	9.1	9.1	18.2	11.3	29.2	21.7	15.0	36.4	9.1	8.7	20.1	25.0	8.7		22.7	18.2	26.1	17.2	9.1	13.6	17.4	13.4	$15,751	$1,441	$13,944
Sharpe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3431 Sharpe Rd	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5020	304	22	13.8		2 (0.7%)	113 (37.2%)	185 (60.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	11.8	926^th of 1009 public elementary schools	8.2%		18.3	859^th of 1018 public elementary schools	15.6%	67	16.3	33.3	21.9				23.7	9.1	30.8	15.6				18.3	9.3	17.9	18.8				14.9					$17,225	$1,666	$14,112
Bethel Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2459 Arlington Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5012	299	20	14.9		4 (1.3%)	278 (93.0%)	11 (3.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	7.4	972^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	3.7%		10.5	946^th of 1018 public elementary schools	7.1%	26	9.8		17.2				9.9	12.2	9.7	28.6				16.0	9.8	9.7	14.3				11.0					$17,572	$2,303	$14,091
Dunbar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2606 Select Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5000	198	16	12.1		3 (1.5%)	189 (95.5%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	9.8	943^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	6.5%		6.6	994^th of 1018 public elementary schools	2.4%	51	25.0	5.7	20.5				17.3	25.0	14.3	12.8				17.3	16.7	8.6	20.5				15.5					$18,705	$1,533	$15,527
Sherwood Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1156 Robinhood LN	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4864	548	33	16.6		10 (1.8%)	350 (63.9%)	175 (31.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	5.5	992^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	1.7%		11	943^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	7.4%	49	11.1						7.2	12.2	20.0	10.4				14.0	13.3	12.3	10.4				12.2					$15,304	$1,937	$11,963
Arrow Academy of Excellence	Public, Charter	K-5	645 Semmes ST	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 207-1891	83	6	15.0		0 (0.0%)	72 (86.7%)	11 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.8	989^th of 1009 public elementary schools	2.0%		21.9	823^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	19.2%	166	12.5	10.0					26.5	12.5						8.8	12.5	20.0					17.6					$7,485	$1,820	$5,298
Hanley K-8	Public	PK, KG-5	680 Hanley ST	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-5300	572	29	19.8		3 (0.5%)	544 (95.1%)	14 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	5.7	990^th of 1009 public elementary schools	1.9%		8.2	980^th of 1018 public elementary schools	3.7%	10	10.0	9.3	19.0				12.8		18.2	14.3				12.5	7.5	7.0					6.4					$16,113	$1,950	$12,961
South Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1720 Getwell RD	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5024	494	36	13.7		17 (3.4%)	189 (38.3%)	279 (56.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	8.4	960^th of 1009 public elementary schools	4.9%		10.6	945^th of 1018 public elementary schools	7.2%	15	11.7	16.1					10.4	16.9	23.2	5.0				16.2	23.4	19.6	5.0				17.9					$16,043	$1,885	$12,969
Getwell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2795 Getwell Road	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-0267	551	30	18.3		14 (2.5%)	419 (76.0%)	114 (20.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	9.7	945^th of 1009 public elementary schools	6.3%		9.5	958^th of 1018 public elementary schools	5.9%	13	10.6	22.6	18.5				17.1	18.2	22.6	12.1				17.5	21.2	19.4	18.5				19.7					$14,949	$1,974	$11,734

Frequently Asked Questions about Cherokee Elementary

What district is Cherokee Elementary in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

What schools do graduates of Cherokee Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cherokee Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sherwood Middle
High : Melrose High

Is Cherokee Elementary a good school?

Cherokee Elementary ranks 635^th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cherokee Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 321 students attended Cherokee Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cherokee Elementary?

Students at Cherokee Elementary are 87% African American, 12% Hispanic.

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2024–25 dropout ratesApr 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataFeb 27, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataDec 18, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesOct 28, 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.