Memphis College Preparatory School

Memphis College Preparatory School is a small elementary school in Memphis, TN, serving 227 students in grades K–5 within the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. The district itself holds a 0-star rating and ranks near the bottom of Tennessee's 141 districts, and this school has consistently ranked in the bottom few percentiles statewide, placing in the 3rd percentile for the 2025-2026 school year.

Academically, Memphis College Preparatory School performs far below state averages in every subject. Only 12.5% of students are proficient in math, 18.5% in English Language Arts, and 10.8% in science, compared to state averages of 43%, 40.6%, and 46.9%. Proficiency also declines as students advance: in math, 18.2% of 3rd graders are proficient, but that drops to just 7.3% by 5th grade. Nearby schools show that better outcomes are possible in the same neighborhood — Rozelle Elementary ranks in the 36th percentile with 43.7% ELA proficiency and 41.4% in science, while Peabody Elementary achieves 36% ELA proficiency. Even among immediate neighbors, this school's science score of 10.8% is nearly the lowest, with only Cummings Elementary/Middle scoring lower.

One of the most striking concerns is chronic absenteeism. In 2023-2024, 46.4% of students were chronically absent — about 2.5 times the state average of 18.9% and well above the district rate of 29.5%. Attendance has ranged from 46% to 67% in recent years, and this almost certainly contributes to the low test scores. On a more hopeful note, per-pupil spending has been relatively high, around $20,000 per student in recent years, and subgroup results improved meaningfully in 2025-2026: African American students moved from the 3rd to 10th percentile and low-income students from the 2nd to 13th percentile. These gains hint that targeted interventions may be starting to work, even as the school tackles its attendance and academic challenges.