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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Tennessee Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Tennessee Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Colonial Middle

Q: Is Colonial Middle a good school?

Colonial Middle ranks 419 th of 583 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-8

419^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 583 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Colonial Middle is a public magnet middle school located in Memphis, Tennessee, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,088 students. The school is part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which is ranked 135 out of 139 districts in Tennessee and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Colonial Middle has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Tennessee middle schools, ranking between 419-488 out of 569-594 schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Colonial Middle's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on TNReady assessments, is significantly below the state and district averages across all subject areas and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics (22.3%), English Language Arts (23.2%), and Science (32.7%) were all well below the state averages of 42.2%, 38.9%, and 46.1%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low in 7th and 8th-grade English Language Arts, with proficiency rates of only 17.6% and 17.1%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 34.3% and 29.6%. Additionally, Colonial Middle has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.9% to 29.5% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state and district averages.

While the nearby schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, such as Oakhaven Middle, Hickory Ridge Middle, and Sherwood Middle, also perform poorly, with similarly low academic proficiency rates and high chronic absenteeism, one exception is University Middle, a public magnet school that consistently outperforms Colonial Middle and the other nearby schools, with significantly higher proficiency rates across all subject areas and grade levels. Despite Colonial Middle's higher per-student spending, ranging from $10,469 to $13,115 per student over the past few years, the school's academic performance remains poor, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as school leadership, teacher quality, and student engagement, may be contributing to the school's challenges.

1,034

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,858

Per pupil spending ?

79.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1370 Colonial RD
Memphis, TN 38117

(901) 416-8980

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Students who attend Colonial Middle usually attend:

High:

Overton High

Feeder schools for Colonial Middle:

Elementary:	Sea Isle Elementary
	South Park Elementary
	Willow Oaks Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.2%

Hispanic:

40.0%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Colonial Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 24th percentile in 2018 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (29% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg24%

Tennessee avg43%

419^th of 583

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 4 pts since 2018

From bottom 24% (2018) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 32Middle 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	419 of 583	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	450 of 587	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	450 of 594	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	458 of 569	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	488 of 576	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.0	395 of 574	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	428 of 563	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	131 of 312	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.1	158 of 318	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.7	150 of 316	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.9	152 of 299	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.1	180 of 277	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.1	91 of 293	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	111 of 284	60.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	80 of 100	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	69 of 73	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	37 of 42	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	25 of 39	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	394 of 546	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	424 of 554	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	419 of 560	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	442 of 552	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	456 of 538	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.3	301 of 529	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	28.3	14 of 15	6.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	13 of 17	23.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	21 of 23	8.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	38 of 39	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.6	24 of 35	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	39.7	165 of 286	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	202 of 285	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	219 of 285	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	239 of 275	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	243 of 261	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.9	151 of 228	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	173 of 219	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	25.3	20 of 23	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	225 of 490	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	304 of 510	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	336 of 514	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	381 of 495	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	413 of 483	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.5	290 of 490	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.2	331 of 481	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	410 of 550	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	443 of 560	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	447 of 557	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	443 of 540	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	463 of 529	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	411 of 523	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	35.7	193 of 332	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	186 of 299	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	206 of 288	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.0	138 of 238	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	91 of 222	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.5	211 of 279	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	357 of 492	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.0	174 of 504	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.5	379 of 500	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	374 of 496	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.4	286 of 484	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.5	241 of 481	49.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2025)58th percentile+30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)54th percentile+26 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)42nd percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile~ school

White (2025)27th percentile~ school

Male (2025)25th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)20th percentile-8 vs school

Homeless (2024)13th percentile-10 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)7th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I48%+18 vs state

Social Studies39%-10 vs state

Science33%-13 vs state

English Language Arts23%-16 vs state

Mathematics22%-20 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Colonial has one of the finest music departments in Shelby county TN. Close Quote

Schools Near Colonial Middle

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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 Algebra I (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 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	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 Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	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
Colonial Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1370 Colonial RD	Memphis	38117	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-8980	1,088	56	19.6		31 (2.8%)	584 (53.7%)	423 (38.9%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (4.0%)	30.2	419^th of 583 public middle schools	28.1%		24.5	450^th of 587 public middle schools	23.3%	31	21.4	20.8	24.8	22.3	36.5	17.6	17.1	23.2	47.8	47.8	37.5	38.0	22.5	32.7	38.1	42.2	35.9	38.8	$13,858	$1,407	$11,661
American Way Middle	Public	6-8	3805 American Way	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-1250	671	41	16.5		2 (0.3%)	416 (62.0%)	234 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	10.4	527^th of 583 public middle schools	9.6%		10.7	537^th of 587 public middle schools	8.5%	10	11.7	12.5	9.6	11.3	16.2	9.7	8.1	11.5			22.9	25.0	19.0	22.3	17.3	23.9	18.5	19.8	$15,004	$2,216	$11,901
Sherwood Middle	Public	6-8	3480 Rhodes Ave	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-4870	670	46	14.5		4 (0.6%)	468 (69.9%)	185 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	5	576^th of 583 public middle schools	1.2%		4.2	587^th of 587 public middle schools	0.0%	11			7.7								6.2	17.0	8.6	10.6	5.3	20.4	10.7	12.0	$14,013	$1,948	$11,204
Wooddale Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3467 Castleman ST	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Achievement School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 730-4086	552	28	20.0		7 (1.3%)	311 (56.3%)	226 (40.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	8.6	551^st of 583 public middle schools	5.5%		12.2	522^nd of 587 public middle schools	11.1%	29	6.6	7.6	10.6	8.3	11.8	6.3	9.9	9.3			17.0	14.3	12.8	14.7	29.5	20.5	15.7	21.9	$18,848	$6,996	$11,852
University Middle School	Public	6-8	330 Fogelman DR	Memphis	38152	Shelby County	University Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 678-4200	0																		(n/a)																			$13,446	$219	$13,068
Ridgeway Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6333 Quince RD	Memphis	38119	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-1588	557	36	15.4		8 (1.4%)	471 (84.6%)	63 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.7%)	11.9	521^st of 583 public middle schools	10.6%		9.6	550^th of 587 public middle schools	6.3%	29	14.0	12.8	7.4	11.5	20.6	17.2	13.0	17.2			18.7	23.7	21.5	21.0	22.4	18.7	12.0	18.0	$13,552	$1,585	$11,036
Power Center Academy Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	5449 Winchester RD	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 333-6874	449	21	21.0		1 (0.2%)	288 (64.1%)	157 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	27.5	440^th of 583 public middle schools	24.5%		22.6	458^th of 587 public middle schools	22.0%	18	29.7	19.5	40.8	29.9	21.4	18.1	19.6	19.7			32.4	20.9	19.5	24.2	43.4	17.6	41.2	34.0	$14,387	$1,455	$12,565
White Station Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	5465 Mason Rd	Memphis	38120	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-2184	1,091	69	15.8		263 (24.1%)	465 (42.6%)	198 (18.1%)	80 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	84 (7.7%)	79.4	85^th of 583 public middle schools	85.4%		75.8	101^st of 587 public middle schools	82.8%	16	54.8	48.9	38.9	48.2	56.9	52.3	44.5	51.3			61.8	60.4	49.7	57.8	61.0	56.1	56.9	58.1	$13,651	$1,299	$11,699
Hickory Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	3920 Ridgeway RD	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-9337	865	44	19.8		5 (0.6%)	651 (75.3%)	183 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (2.9%)	9.6	541^st of 583 public middle schools	7.2%		9.3	554^th of 587 public middle schools	5.6%	13	22.9	8.7		11.0	15.7	12.2	8.0	11.7			22.3	20.9	14.7	19.2	15.1	21.6	10.8	16.1	$13,297	$1,575	$10,887
Oakhaven Middle	Public	6-8	3125 Ladbrook Rd	Memphis	38108	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2380	270	16	17.4		2 (0.7%)	213 (78.9%)	47 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	9.8	536^th of 583 public middle schools	8.1%		4.7	585^th of 587 public middle schools	0.3%	49	6.2	9.4	20.0	11.7	13.4	5.3		7.6			19.8	20.6	21.3	20.6	19.4	19.8	19.8	19.7	$12,947	$1,579	$11,001

Frequently Asked Questions about Colonial Middle

What is the racial makeup of Colonial Middle?

Students at Colonial Middle are 51% African American, 40% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% White.

How many students attend Colonial Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,034 students attended Colonial Middle.

What district is Colonial Middle in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

What high school do graduates of Colonial Middle attend?

Students who attend Colonial Middle usually go on to attend Overton High

Is Colonial Middle a good school?

Colonial Middle ranks 419^th of 583 Tennessee middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Colonial Middle!

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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.