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American Way Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

553^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 7% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

American Way Middle School is a 6–8 grade school in Memphis, TN, serving 693 students as part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which ranks near the bottom of Tennessee districts. The school itself is in the 7th percentile statewide, with only 10.1% of students proficient in math and 10.5% in English Language Arts — dramatically below state averages of 43% and 40.6%. Science (18.6%) and social studies (20.2%) are relative bright spots, though still less than half of state proficiency rates.

There are encouraging signs amid the low scores. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 37.8% in 2023-2024 to 24.9% in 2024-2025, now below the district's 30.2% and far better than nearby A. Maceo Walker Middle School (50.2%) and Sherwood Middle School (45.3%). English Language Learner students are the school's strongest subgroup, ranking at the 35th percentile statewide with a 2-star rating — a meaningful achievement that outpaces the school's overall performance.

However, significant challenges remain. ELA proficiency falls sharply from 15.6% in 6th grade to just 5.6% in 8th grade, while math proficiency actually rises — pointing to a cumulative literacy problem. Unlike Colonial Middle School and Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, American Way reports no Algebra I data, suggesting limited access to advanced math. The school also spends $15,004 per student — more than Colonial ($13,858) and Maxine Smith ($12,546) — yet achieves far lower proficiency. With steady but fragile improvement from the 1st percentile in 2018-2019 to the 10th percentile in 2024-2025, the school shows potential, but its path forward depends on stronger literacy support and better use of existing resources.

693

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,004

Per pupil spending ?

87%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3805 American Way
Memphis, TN 38118

(901) 416-1250

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Students who attend American Way Middle School usually attend:

High:

Sheffield High School

Feeder schools for American Way Middle School:

Elementary:	Getwell Elementary School
	Sheffield Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

54.5%

Hispanic:

42.3%

Two or more races:

2.0%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare American Way Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2018 → 7th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2018

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (15% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 33 pts below the Tennessee average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg26%

Tennessee avg45%

553^rd of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 6 pts since 2018

From bottom 1% (2018) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd of 32Middle 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	553 of 594	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	527 of 583	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	537 of 587	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.0	574 of 594	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.4	552 of 569	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	573 of 576	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.1	571 of 574	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.1	556 of 563	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	297 of 328	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.7	266 of 312	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	249 of 318	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	303 of 316	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	277 of 299	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	291 of 293	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	270 of 284	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	65 of 100	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.0	65 of 73	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	18 of 32	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	505 of 546	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	518 of 554	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	552 of 560	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	533 of 552	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.5	537 of 538	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.5	529 of 529	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	271 of 302	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	247 of 286	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	261 of 285	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	273 of 285	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	264 of 275	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	260 of 261	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	228 of 228	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	213 of 219	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	28 of 31	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	25 of 26	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	426 of 478	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	411 of 490	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	447 of 510	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	495 of 514	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	474 of 495	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	483 of 483	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	487 of 490	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	471 of 481	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	503 of 550	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	500 of 560	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	543 of 557	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	525 of 540	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.2	529 of 529	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.6	520 of 523	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2024	18.5	284 of 299	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	258 of 260	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

English Language Learner (2025)35th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school

Homeless (2025)10th percentile~ school

African American (2026)9th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)5th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies20%-31 vs state

Science19%-28 vs state

English Language Arts10%-30 vs state

Mathematics10%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near American Way 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 Algebra I (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 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
American Way Middle School	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	87.0%	2 (0.3%)	416 (62.0%)	234 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	9.1	553^rd of 594 public middle schools	6.9%		10.4	527^th of 583 public middle schools	9.6%	26	5.7	10.8	13.9	10.1	15.6	10.3	5.6	10.5			19.4	12.0	23.5	18.6	21.0	13.0	25.6	20.2	$15,004	$2,216	$11,901
Sherwood Middle School	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	96.8%	4 (0.6%)	468 (69.9%)	185 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	4.2	584^th of 594 public middle schools	1.7%		5	576^th of 583 public middle schools	1.2%	8			6.1		8.8			5.7			9.1	10.2	14.1	11.1	11.2	15.0	8.0	11.4	$14,013	$1,948	$11,204
Colonial Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	1370 Colonial Road	Memphis	38117	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-8980	1,088	56	19.6	79.6%	31 (2.8%)	584 (53.7%)	423 (38.9%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (4.0%)	29.4	436^th of 594 public middle schools	26.6%		30.2	419^th of 583 public middle schools	28.1%	17	11.0	22.0	22.9	19.0	32.7	27.1	19.7	26.1	64.3	64.3	28.2	38.0	33.4	33.5	36.1	47.4	35.5	39.8	$13,858	$1,407	$11,661
Oakhaven Middle School	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	95.8%	2 (0.7%)	213 (78.9%)	47 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	8.2	558^th of 594 public middle schools	6.1%		9.8	536^th of 583 public middle schools	8.1%	22	5.2		6.5	5.1	12.5	13.0		10.0			14.6	22.8	10.9	16.3	23.7	25.2	19.4	22.9	$12,947	$1,579	$11,001
Wooddale Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3467 Castleman Street	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Tennessee Public Charter School Commission	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(901) 730-4086																			(n/a)	8.3	7.7	5.5	7.1	5.5	7.7		6.1			17.4	19.0	17.8	18.1	36.4	32.2	23.1	30.0
University Middle School	Public	6-8	330 Fogelman Drive	Memphis	38152	Shelby County	University Schools - Memphis	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 678-4200	0											94.6	25^th of 594 public middle schools	95.8%					(n/a)	68.8	66.3	50.0	63.6	73.1	65.9	71.4	70.1			75.3	78.0	65.3	74.2	67.7	85.6	88.3	80.0	$13,446	$219	$13,068
Power Center Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	5449 Winchester Road	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 333-6874	449	21	21.0	74.8%	1 (0.2%)	288 (64.1%)	157 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	24	469^th of 594 public middle schools	21.0%		27.5	440^th of 583 public middle schools	24.5%	29	28.7	18.8	34.0	27.0	26.6	11.6	9.9	16.0			36.6	17.2	14.2	22.7	53.5	23.4	33.8	36.9	$14,387	$1,455	$12,565
Maxine Smith STEAM Academy	Public	6-8	750 E Parkway S	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	No	(901) 416-4536	397	24	16.8	29.4%	120 (30.2%)	215 (54.2%)	33 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	94.5	28^th of 594 public middle schools	95.3%		98.8	4^th of 583 public middle schools	99.3%	24	48.4	74.2	59.1	60.7	72.0	80.5	72.5	75.1	93.8	94.4	73.9	75.5	80.3	76.4	83.4	82.4	83.1	83.0	$12,546	$828	$11,351
Veritas College Preparatory School	Public, Charter	6-8	1500 Dunn Avenue	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 526-1900	135	11	12.2	94.8%	0 (0.0%)	125 (92.6%)	5 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	7.5	565^th of 594 public middle schools	4.9%		6.3	566^th of 583 public middle schools	2.9%	1	8.5	9.8	12.5	10.2	10.6	12.2	12.2	11.6			12.8	9.8	7.3	10.1	29.8	14.6	12.2	19.4	$19,447	$1,512	$17,569
A. Maceo Walker Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 East Raines Road	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-1030	637	35	18.2	90.2%	5 (0.8%)	577 (90.6%)	28 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.2%)	12	527^th of 594 public middle schools	11.3%		13	515^th of 583 public middle schools	11.7%	12	10.4	28.4	14.1	17.5	9.3	14.2		9.0			14.5	20.8	12.6	15.9	10.4	38.3	25.3	24.4	$14,027	$1,955	$11,193

Frequently Asked Questions about American Way Middle School

What district is American Way Middle School in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

What high school do graduates of American Way Middle School attend?

Students who attend American Way Middle School usually go on to attend Sheffield High School

How many students attend American Way Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 693 students attended American Way Middle School.

Is American Way Middle School a good school?

American Way Middle School ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Tennessee middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of American Way Middle School?

Students at American Way Middle School are 55% African American, 42% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% White.

Rate American Way Middle School!

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Latest Tennessee data All new data »

2025–26 TNReady test scoresNewAug 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.