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City University School Of Liberal Arts

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

329^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 389 Tennessee High Schools

Better than 15% of Tennessee high schools

Summary

City University School Of Liberal Arts is a public charter high school in Memphis, Tennessee that serves 201 students in grades 9-12. The school faces significant challenges, as it has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Tennessee high schools and received a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2020-2021 school year.

The school's performance for female, male, and African American students is generally in the bottom half of Tennessee high schools, though its performance for low socioeconomic status students has been more mixed. City University School Of Liberal Arts has also experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 8.8% to 29.5% over the past 5 years. Academically, the school's proficiency rates on state assessments are well below the district and state averages across all subject areas and grade levels, with its strongest performance in US History.

Compared to nearby schools, Oakhaven High and Westwood High have similar low performance profiles, while Whitehaven High, a public magnet school in the same district, has significantly higher performance. Despite its relatively high per-student spending, City University School Of Liberal Arts' inconsistent student-teacher ratio and small enrollment size may be contributing factors to its struggles.

179

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,924

Per pupil spending ?

84.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1475 E. Shelby DR
Memphis, TN 38106

(901) 775-2219

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.9%

Hispanic:

5.0%

Two or more races:

3.9%

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

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 20th percentile in 2022 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (15% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg23%

Tennessee avg40%

329^th of 389

Tennessee public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 42High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
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
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
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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+17 vs school

African American (2025)26th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

US History25%-14 vs state

English II21%-33 vs state

Algebra I19%-10 vs state

Algebra II17%-18 vs state

English I11%-28 vs state

Biology I6%-39 vs state

Geometry5%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near City University School Of Liberal Arts

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 Algebra II (2025)				TNReady Biology I (2025)					TNReady US History (2025)				TNReady English I (2025)		TNReady English II (2025)		TNReady Geometry (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 9th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	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 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 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 DR	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 775-2219	201	15	13.1		1 (0.5%)	183 (91.0%)	11 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	19.1	329^th of 389 public high schools	15.4%		21.1	321^st of 392 public high schools	18.1%	8									20.5	19.1		17.0		16.7		5.0			6.5	12.8	66.7		25.0	11.1	11.1	21.4	21.4	5.1											$17,924	$1,541	$16,016
City University School of Independence	Public, Charter	9-12	1475 East Shelby DR	Memphis	38116	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 775-2219	14	1	10.1		0 (0.0%)	14 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27.9	283^rd of 389 public high schools	27.2%					(n/a)																28.6			28.6	25.0			25.0			28.6	28.6	23.1		23.1									$8,792	$1,358	$7,068
Whitehaven High	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		4 (0.3%)	1,455 (93.9%)	23 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (4.1%)	60	126^th of 389 public high schools	67.6%		62.6	109^th of 392 public high schools	72.2%	17									51.2	50.0	49.6	44.7	28.6	47.3		72.7	40.3	35.0	41.9		77.9	58.8	72.4	20.5	20.3	38.6	38.1	73.5	60.7	68.6									$13,670	$1,339	$11,585
Hillcrest High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4184 Graceland DR	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%)	7	384^th of 389 public high schools	1.3%		10.7	363^rd of 392 public high schools	7.4%	21												9.4		11.4		5.5			5.7					6.6	6.2	21.6	19.8												$18,230	$6,876	$11,354
Freedom Prep Middle - Brownlee	Public, Charter	6-12	817 Brownlee RD	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	32.1	23.3	25.7	30.9	16.0	12.7	20.1																							37.3	42.5	33.0	37.6	47.3	41.5	50.5	46.4	$11,829	$1,446	$10,017
Fairley High School	Public	9-12	4950 Fairley RD	Memphis	38109	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 321-2500	0																		(n/a)																																							$14,303	$1,862	$11,538
Freedom Preparatory Academy Flagship	Public, Charter	6-12	5132 Jonetta ST	Memphis	38109	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 538-9500	723	47	15.3		1 (0.1%)	607 (84.0%)	104 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	23.6	308^th of 389 public high schools	20.8%		18.5	332^nd of 392 public high schools	15.3%	24	16.5	14.1	27.6	19.2	13.9	8.2		8.8	12.5	12.4	28.6	7.9		11.1	18.0				18.7		33.7		33.3	20.1	20.1	59.2	55.3	6.7		6.1	25.3	15.3	22.4	20.8	49.4	32.9	27.6	36.7	$14,252	$1,495	$12,391
Southwest Career Technology Center	Public	9-12	3746 Horn Lake RD	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	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		2 (0.5%)	313 (83.9%)	52 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	24	307^th of 389 public high schools	21.1%		30.3	272^nd of 392 public high schools	30.6%	35									8.2	8.0		16.7		16.1		27.9			27.7					9.4	9.3	42.0	41.5	24.4		23.3									$16,161	$1,534	$13,451
Westwood High	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		0 (0.0%)	317 (96.4%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	12.6	356^th of 389 public high schools	8.5%		14.5	346^th of 392 public high schools	11.7%	10													9.1	6.7		9.7	7.7		9.8							26.8	26.4	6.7	11.8	7.1									$15,971	$1,889	$13,288

Frequently Asked Questions about City University School Of Liberal Arts

Is City University School Of Liberal Arts a good school?

City University School Of Liberal Arts ranks in the bottom 15.4% 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 district is City University School Of Liberal Arts in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

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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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.