Oakshire Elementary School

Oakshire Elementary School is a PK–5 elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 442 students as part of Memphis-Shelby County Schools. While the school's overall state ranking places it in the bottom quarter of Tennessee elementary schools, that single number doesn't tell the full story — Oakshire actually beats its district average in every tested subject, including math (27.5% proficient vs. 22.1% district), English language arts (30.8% vs. 24.6%), and science (31.9% vs. 28.4%).

There is plenty of encouraging news here. Oakshire has shown one of the clearest upward trends in math in the area, climbing from 16.4% proficiency in 2022–2023 to 27.5% in 2025–2026 — an 11-point gain that outpaced both the district and state. The school has also made remarkable strides in attendance, cutting chronic absenteeism from 43.3% to 23.6% in just two years, a rate now better than the district's and most nearby schools'. Perhaps most promising, when compared with schools serving similar student populations, Oakshire ranks near the 50th percentile statewide for African American students and low-income students — a much stronger picture than its overall ranking suggests.

The biggest challenge is a noticeable grade-level pattern: 3rd graders perform close to state averages, but scores drop sharply by 4th and 5th grade, especially in math. Nearby schools show what's possible — J.P. Freeman Elementary/Middle School, just two miles away, has proficiency rates roughly 27 points higher in every subject. Still, Oakshire has better attendance than several schools that outperform it, like Robert R. Church Elementary School, and sits well above the lowest-performing schools in the area. With its attendance turnaround already in place, the next opportunity is translating early-grade success into stronger upper-grade results.