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Middle College High School

Q: Is Middle College High School a good school?

Middle College High School ranks 188 th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Middle College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended Middle College High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Middle College High School?

Students at Middle College High School are 91% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Public Grades 9-12

188^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 53% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

Middle College High School is a small public high school in midtown Memphis, TN, serving 304 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. Despite its district ranking near the bottom of Tennessee, this school has historically been a standout, with state percentile ranks in the 80s and 90s for most of the past decade. In 2025–2026, its test scores remained far above the district average in nearly every subject—for example, 58% of students scored proficient in Biology I and 69.6% in English II, compared to district rates of 29.9% and 39.5%, respectively. It also exceeded the state average in Biology I and English II, putting it well ahead of most nearby schools like Hamilton High School and Melrose High School, where proficiency rates often sit in the single digits or low teens.

The most striking difference from its neighbors is attendance. Middle College’s chronic absenteeism rate was just 5.3% in 2024–2025, compared to 30.2% district-wide and 18.3% statewide. Nearby East High School, which posts similarly strong test scores, has a chronic absenteeism rate of 14.2%, while Central High School (35.9%) and Memphis Academy Of Science Engineering Middle/High (58%) lag far behind. This near-universal attendance likely drives the school’s excellent graduation rate (95.9%) and low dropout rate (4.1% vs. 16.9% district). It also outperforms comparable magnet options like Crosstown High School in Biology I and English II, while spending less per student than Soulsville Charter School or MASE.

Middle College is especially effective for students from low-income backgrounds and African American students, earning 5-star state rankings for both groups in recent years. However, its gifted and talented students have received much lower rankings, suggesting the school’s model may be better suited to lifting students who face systemic barriers. The most recent year (2025–2026) saw a noticeable drop to the 53rd percentile from the 85th the prior year, with proficiency falling across all subjects—a dip worth monitoring, though this school has recovered from similar setbacks before. With modest per-student spending and a relatively small enrollment, Middle College demonstrates that strong attendance and focused instruction can produce results that defy its district’s overall reputation.

304

Students ?

24.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,873

Per pupil spending ?

56.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

750 E Parkway S
Memphis, TN 38104

(901) 416-4550

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.4%

Two or more races:

5.6%

Hispanic:

2.0%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare Middle College High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 98th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Tennessee average (86%)

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

✓Above the Tennessee median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 45 percentile points since 2016

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

!Geometry scores 14 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg26%

Tennessee avg43%

188^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 45 pts since 2016

From top 2% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 42High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	188 of 400	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	75.0	58 of 389	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.5	34 of 392	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	78.2	39 of 384	89.8%	★★★★★
2022	67.5	64 of 358	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	58.9	92 of 347	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.0	63 of 342	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.1	32 of 341	90.6%	★★★★★
2017	53.0	110 of 273	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	91.6	8 of 351	97.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	58 of 230	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	87.6	12 of 233	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	5 of 240	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.0	8 of 239	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	86.9	13 of 222	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	74.1	19 of 208	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	83.9	10 of 187	94.7%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	8 of 199	96.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	76.3	49 of 365	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	33 of 365	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	76.2	42 of 366	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	76 of 350	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	65.6	55 of 340	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	50 of 337	85.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	28.7	8 of 9	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	9 of 11	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.4	11 of 20	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	68 of 308	77.9%	★★★★☆
2025	89.4	10 of 324	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	12 of 337	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	81.1	14 of 330	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	87.4	11 of 322	96.6%	★★★★★
2021	77.2	19 of 317	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	74.4	27 of 302	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	1 of 308	99.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	70.7	70 of 368	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	41 of 366	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	34 of 359	90.5%	★★★★★
2022	70.6	49 of 349	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	59.3	89 of 332	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	58.4	93 of 329	71.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)81st percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile+25 vs school

African American (2026)75th percentile+22 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)11th percentile-80 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English II70%+12 vs state

Biology I58%+8 vs state

English I40%+3 vs state

Algebra II33%-4 vs state

Geometry28%-14 vs state

Algebra I24%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Middle College High 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 Algebra I (2026)						TNReady Algebra II (2026)					TNReady Biology I (2026)					TNReady Integrated Math I (2026)		TNReady Integrated Math II (2026)					TNReady Integrated Math III (2026)					TNReady US History (2026)					TNReady English I (2026)						TNReady English II (2026)					TNReady Geometry (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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2016)	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 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 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra II All Grades	TNReady Biology I 9th Grade	TNReady Biology I 10th Grade	TNReady Biology I 11th Grade	TNReady Biology I 12th Grade	TNReady Biology I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math I 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math II 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II 12th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math II All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math III 9th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 10th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 11th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III 12th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math III All Grades	TNReady US History 9th Grade	TNReady US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 8th Grade	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I 12th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	TNReady Geometry 10th Grade	TNReady Geometry 11th Grade	TNReady Geometry 12th Grade	TNReady Geometry 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
Middle College High School	Public	9-12	750 E Parkway S	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-4550	333	14	24.5	56.5%	6 (1.8%)	304 (91.3%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.1%)	51	188^th of 400 public high schools	53.0%		75	58^th of 389 public high schools	85.1%	130										23.9				23.6			28.8		32.8	58.8				58.0																			40.0				40.0		68.7			69.6	33.3	26.8			28.2									$15,873	$1,017	$13,676
Compass Community School Midtown Campus	Public, Charter	9-12	61 N. McLean Boulevard	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 276-1221	356	31	11.6		10 (2.8%)	115 (32.3%)	221 (62.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	37.6	250^th of 400 public high schools	37.5%		37.8	229^th of 389 public high schools	41.1%	21										15.8				15.7			26.9		27.5			47.9		47.2															50.0		47.6		15.8				15.5		35.4			33.0		29.2			29.0									$13,992	$1,421	$12,205
Melrose High School	Public	9-12	2870 Deadrick Ave	Memphis	38114	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7719	710	40	17.8	96.5%	6 (0.8%)	617 (86.9%)	69 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.5%)	4.4	397^th of 400 public high schools	0.7%		7.5	382^nd of 389 public high schools	1.8%	15										< 5%				< 5%		< 5%	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%		20.0	6.7	< 5%	7.7															< 5%		< 5%		< 5%				< 5%		13.8			13.4	< 5%	< 5%			< 5%									$13,353	$1,462	$11,129
East High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3206 Poplar Ave	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-6160	615	43	14.2	87.0%	81 (13.2%)	420 (68.3%)	63 (10.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (7.8%)	81	43^rd of 400 public high schools	89.3%		72.2	67^th of 389 public high schools	82.8%	24										26.2				26.4		78.1	38.7		50.0	83.7	60.7			74.8															64.8		64.8		60.1				60.1		87.8			87.8	68.9	53.8			58.7									$14,791	$1,083	$12,822
Central High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	306 S Bellevue Blvd	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4500	1,300	79	16.4	77.6%	45 (3.5%)	1,086 (83.5%)	99 (7.6%)	13 (1.0%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (4.2%)	30	286^th of 400 public high schools	28.5%		22.1	317^th of 389 public high schools	18.5%	31										18.4				18.0		47.6	23.2	10.0	24.7	51.9	21.8	13.3		29.2															31.8	21.1	29.5		15.7				15.7		38.3			38.0	76.2	34.3	62.2		40.4									$12,857	$1,348	$10,898
Memphis Academy Of Science Engineering Middle/High	Public, Charter	6-12	1266 Poplar Ave	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 333-1580	696	48	14.4	96.3%	1 (0.1%)	633 (90.9%)	47 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.2%)	29.1	290^th of 400 public high schools	27.5%		16.1	342^nd of 389 public high schools	12.1%	52	13.5	12.3	20.5	15.5	27.2	18.5	9.0	18.3		16.2				16.1			24.0		25.0		25.6			30.3														31.0	26.3		30.4		26.3				26.3		42.5			42.1		22.7			22.2	23.6	25.0	15.9	21.4	37.1	27.5	31.8	32.3	$17,299	$1,623	$15,310
University High School	Public	9-12	330 Fogelman Drive	Memphis	38152	Shelby County	University Schools - Memphis	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 678-4200	0											80.5	46^th of 400 public high schools	88.5%					(n/a)										54.2				54.2		80.0	32.8		44.9	≥ 95%	69.0			82.1																			65.7				65.7		82.1			82.1	81.6	33.3			50.5									$10,999	$248	$10,647
Crosstown High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1365 Tower Avenue	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 401-5505	499	36	13.7		153 (30.7%)	266 (53.3%)	57 (11.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	55.9	150^th of 400 public high schools	62.5%		54.9	150^th of 389 public high schools	61.4%											11.0				10.9						50.0	46.9			46.5			81.0	21.6			30.4		84.6	36.0		40.9							44.9				44.9		65.6			65.9														$14,982	$1,175	$13,440
Hamilton High School	Public	9-12	1363 E Person Ave	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7838	647	32	20.4	92.9%	1 (0.2%)	592 (91.5%)	34 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	7.8	387^th of 400 public high schools	3.3%		5.2	388^th of 389 public high schools	0.3%	1										5.0				5.6		18.8	7.4	< 5%	8.1		< 5%	12.3		9.4																	< 5%		< 5%				< 5%	9.1	11.9			12.1		< 5%	< 5%		< 5%									$14,949	$2,304	$11,585
Soulsville Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	1115 College Street	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 261-6366	656	59	11.0	81.6%	1 (0.2%)	633 (96.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.7%)	14	358^th of 400 public high schools	10.5%		20	322^nd of 389 public high schools	17.2%	36	9.1	22.8	21.3	17.9	11.1	18.8	15.7	15.3												23.1	< 5%			20.6	8.7	8.7		14.0			13.8			< 5%		< 5%			8.0		9.4		13.2				13.2		31.2			31.2						20.2	27.7	28.7	25.6	39.4	48.5	34.3	40.6	$18,101	$1,463	$15,785

Frequently Asked Questions about Middle College High School

What district is Middle College High School in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

How many students attend Middle College High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended Middle College High School.

What is the racial makeup of Middle College High School?

Students at Middle College High School are 91% African American, 6% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Middle College High School a good school?

Middle College High School ranks 188^th of 400 Tennessee high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Middle College High School!

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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.