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City University School Of Liberal Arts

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

385^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 400 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 4% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

City University School Of Liberal Arts is a small public high school in Memphis, TN, serving 179 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. The school's state ranking has fallen dramatically to the 4th percentile (385th out of 400 schools) with a 0-star rating, following a decade of mostly low rankings. Despite relatively high per-pupil spending of $17,924 and a favorable 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio, academic outcomes are among the weakest in the state.

Proficiency rates are critically low across core subjects. In 2025–2026, just 6.7% of students scored proficient in English I, compared to 19.1% for the district and 37.3% statewide. Other subjects tell a similar story: English II at 22.0%, Biology I at 20.5%, Geometry at 13.7%, and US History at 14.0%—all far below district and state averages. The graduation rate also fell sharply, from 95.3% in 2021–2022 to 78.4% in 2024–2025, while the dropout rate soared to 18.9%, nearly three times the state rate. Chronic absenteeism has fluctuated wildly, from 46.6% in 2020–2021 down to 8.8% in 2023–2024, then back up to 21.5%.

The contrast with nearby Whitehaven High School, located just 0.63 miles away, is striking. Whitehaven serves a much larger student body and spends less per student, yet ranks 51st in the state (87th percentile) with a 4-star rating. Its proficiency rates dwarf CUSLA's—82.3% in Geometry and 79.4% in US History versus 13.7% and 14.0%, respectively. CUSLA does outperform some neighbors like Invictus Academy at Airways on chronic absenteeism, but the overall trend is one of acute academic distress. The school's effectiveness with economically disadvantaged students has eroded to the 4th percentile statewide, suggesting urgent intervention is needed to reverse the decline.

179

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,924

Per pupil spending ?

84.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1475 E. Shelby Drive
Memphis, TN 38116

(901) 775-2219

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.9%

Hispanic:

5.0%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Tennessee high schools

Compare City University School Of Liberal Arts to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 9th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (15% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Tennessee average (78% vs 90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg29%

Tennessee avg46%

385^th of 400

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^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	8.4	385 of 400	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	329 of 389	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	321 of 392	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	329 of 384	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	285 of 358	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.8	325 of 347	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	284 of 342	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	309 of 341	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.1	318 of 351	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	216 of 230	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	173 of 233	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.1	149 of 240	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	166 of 239	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	119 of 222	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.7	182 of 208	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.9	99 of 187	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	132 of 199	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	331 of 365	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	312 of 365	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	319 of 366	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	299 of 350	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.4	333 of 340	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	290 of 337	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	13.3	296 of 308	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	34.1	220 of 324	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	168 of 337	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.9	258 of 330	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.4	196 of 322	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.0	278 of 317	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	236 of 302	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	242 of 308	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	282 of 368	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	309 of 366	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	317 of 359	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	237 of 349	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.5	305 of 332	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	270 of 329	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

English II22%-36 vs state

Biology I20%-29 vs state

US History14%-28 vs state

Geometry14%-29 vs state

English I7%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near City University School Of Liberal Arts

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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 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 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra II 11th 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 US History 10th Grade	TNReady US History 11th Grade	TNReady US History 12th Grade	TNReady US History All Grades	TNReady English I 9th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	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
City University School Of Liberal Arts	Public, Charter	9-12	1475 E. Shelby Drive	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 775-2219	201	15	13.1	84.4%	1 (0.5%)	183 (91.0%)	11 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	8.4	385^th of 400 public high schools	3.8%		19.1	329^th of 389 public high schools	15.4%	56																20.9			20.5	9.8			14.0	6.7	6.7	22.4	22.0	13.0			13.7									$17,924	$1,541	$16,016
City University School of Independence	Public, Charter	9-12	1475 East Shelby Drive	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 775-2219	14	1	10.1	86.4%	0 (0.0%)	14 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																																								$8,792	$1,358	$7,068
Whitehaven High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	4851 Elvis Presley Blvd	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-3000	1,549	82	18.8	81.5%	4 (0.3%)	1,455 (93.9%)	23 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (4.1%)	79.1	51^st of 400 public high schools	87.3%		60	126^th of 389 public high schools	67.6%	75									40.3	40.0	91.7	61.4	62.7	62.5		50.0	60.1	45.8	57.9		81.6	80.0	79.4	43.6	43.5	65.9	65.6	87.3	82.2	69.2	82.3									$13,670	$1,339	$11,585
Hillcrest High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4184 Graceland Drive	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Achievement School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 730-4098	441	20	22.0		1 (0.2%)	413 (93.7%)	23 (5.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	8.7	383^rd of 400 public high schools	4.3%		7	384^th of 389 public high schools	1.3%	1									8.8	9.8			16.4	20.3		13.3			14.6					6.5	6.3	11.8	11.2	10.8			12.5									$18,230	$6,876	$11,354
Freedom Prep Middle - Brownlee School	Public, Charter	6-12	817 Brownlee Road	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 538-9500	317	16	20.4		1 (0.3%)	244 (77.0%)	65 (20.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.2%)								(n/a)	21.8	31.1	21.1	24.7	27.7	14.2	10.1	17.1																								43.6	46.2	34.9	41.5	43.6	48.1	38.5	43.4	$11,829	$1,446	$10,017
Fairley High School	Public	9-12	4950 Fairley Road	Memphis	38109	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 730-8160	0											7.6	389^th of 400 public high schools	2.8%					(n/a)									5.7	5.6		7.7				13.7	10.0		12.0							22.1	19.9	15.0			13.2									$14,303	$1,862	$11,538
Freedom Preparatory Academy Flagship	Public, Charter	6-12	5132 Jonetta Street	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 538-9500	723	47	15.3	70.2%	1 (0.1%)	607 (84.0%)	104 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	16.7	344^th of 400 public high schools	14.0%		23.6	308^th of 389 public high schools	20.8%	36	15.5	18.5	21.9	18.7	19.7	27.7	11.1	19.2	10.6	10.6		42.1	6.0	12.7	29.8				29.3		16.7		17.0	16.4	16.4	53.3	52.6	18.3			17.3	21.1	23.1	17.8	20.6	15.5	38.5	38.4	30.6	$14,252	$1,495	$12,391
Southwest Career Technology Center	Public	9-12	3746 Horn Lake Road	Memphis	38109	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	No	(901) 416-8186	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Oakhaven High School	Public	9-12	3125 Ladbrook Rd	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2300	373	25	14.7	95.9%	2 (0.5%)	313 (83.9%)	52 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	32.9	273^rd of 400 public high schools	31.8%		24	307^th of 389 public high schools	21.1%	34									17.5	17.4			26.6	24.0		32.9			32.1							47.6	47.8	21.0			23.2									$16,161	$1,534	$13,451
Westwood High School	Public	9-12	4480 Westmont Rd	Memphis	38109	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-8000	329	21	15.3	87.7%	0 (0.0%)	317 (96.4%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	11.8	364^th of 400 public high schools	9.0%		12.6	356^th of 389 public high schools	8.5%	8									13.0	13.5							20.0		6.8		5.7	10.5	6.7	11.0	10.8	22.7	21.8	17.6	15.4		17.4									$15,971	$1,889	$13,288

Frequently Asked Questions about City University School Of Liberal Arts

What district is City University School Of Liberal Arts in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Is City University School Of Liberal Arts a good school?

City University School Of Liberal Arts ranks in the bottom 3.8% of Tennessee high schools.

How many students attend City University School Of Liberal Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 179 students attended City University School Of Liberal Arts.

What is the racial makeup of City University School Of Liberal Arts?

Students at City University School Of Liberal Arts are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% White.

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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.