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Belle Forest Community School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

848^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,019 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Belle Forest Community School is a PK–5 elementary school in Memphis, TN, serving approximately 1,027 students within Memphis-Shelby County Schools. The school’s overall state ranking has been low for several years, though it improved from the 10th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 17th percentile in 2025–2026. That recent year was the school’s best across all three tested subjects, with math proficiency rising to 31.8% (above the district’s 22.1%), ELA at 24.9% (near the district average), and science at 24.7% (below the district).

Looking at nearby schools, Belle Forest’s math score is comparable to Journey East and Winridge, but its ELA and science scores are the lowest among the comparison group. For example, Newberry Elementary School posts ELA proficiency of 56.2% and science of 83.9%, while Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary School reaches 51.0% in ELA. One genuine bright spot is 3rd grade math, where 52.6% of Belle Forest students are proficient—above the state average of 42.6%. However, that early strength fades sharply by 5th grade, when math proficiency drops to just 14.4%. The school also shows notable progress for specific student groups: English language learners jumped from the 18th to the 74th percentile statewide, and special education students went from the 0th to the 48th percentile.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, affecting 31.4% of students in 2024–2025, well above the state average of 18.3%. Nearby Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus has an extraordinary 5.0% rate. Spending at Belle Forest is $14,244 per student, lower than several peers like Hickory Ridge Elementary School ($16,425) and Fox Meadows Elementary School ($15,770). The school is also much larger than nearby elementary schools, which may affect how resources are distributed. With several higher-performing schools in the same area, Belle Forest has clear models to learn from—and its recent improvements suggest momentum that parents can build on.

1,027

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,244

Per pupil spending ?

61.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

3135 Ridgeway
Memphis, TN 38115

(901) 416-7200

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Students who attend Belle Forest Community School usually attend:

Middle:	Hickory Ridge Middle School
High:	Kirby High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

77.8%

Hispanic:

20.8%

Two or more races:

0.9%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Belle Forest Community School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2018 → 17th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (27% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 18% Tennessee)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg25%

Tennessee avg43%

848^th of 1,019

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 3 pts since 2018

From bottom 14% (2018) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

61^st of 120Elementary 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	21.0	848 of 1019	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.2	895 of 1009	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	919 of 1018	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	856 of 1020	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	768 of 1000	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.1	945 of 983	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	704 of 985	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	860 of 997	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	36.0	318 of 498	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.1	352 of 498	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	345 of 498	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	296 of 500	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	229 of 483	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	19.6	370 of 411	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.9	128 of 404	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.2	261 of 450	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	54 of 211	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	36.0	113 of 178	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	135 of 164	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	46 of 66	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	83 of 95	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	849 of 986	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	906 of 990	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	806 of 989	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.5	712 of 975	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.1	902 of 945	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	635 of 926	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	249 of 458	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.9	340 of 424	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	390 of 415	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.0	275 of 387	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.2	245 of 363	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.7	272 of 324	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.5	181 of 250	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.4	191 of 319	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	640 of 823	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.8	688 of 843	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	687 of 853	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	647 of 865	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.6	529 of 858	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	11.7	811 of 823	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	47.8	397 of 821	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.8	746 of 877	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	882 of 984	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	889 of 991	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	870 of 987	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	796 of 980	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	917 of 941	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	702 of 916	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	335 of 641	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.1	498 of 618	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	581 of 582	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	348 of 528	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	179 of 447	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.7	261 of 369	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)74th percentile+63 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2026)36th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics32%-11 vs state

English Language Arts25%-16 vs state

Science25%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Belle Forest Community 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 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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	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
Belle Forest Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	3135 Ridgeway	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-7200	1,035	58	17.8	61.8%	4 (0.4%)	817 (78.9%)	201 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.3%)	21	848^th of 1019 public elementary schools	16.8%		14.2	895^th of 1009 public elementary schools	11.3%	47	52.6	27.8	14.4				31.8	32.2	21.2	21.1				24.9	23.0	25.3	25.9				24.7					$14,244	$1,906	$11,408
Winridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3500 Ridgeway Road	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-6618	415	31	13.3	61.6%	3 (0.7%)	331 (79.8%)	74 (17.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	41.9	610^th of 1019 public elementary schools	40.1%		39.3	615^th of 1009 public elementary schools	39.0%	5	51.7	22.5	22.2				32.4	38.7	41.4	23.1				36.3	56.5	42.3	50.0				49.2					$15,269	$1,784	$12,429
Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	5905 Grosvenor Ave	Memphis	38119	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-2128	271	22	12.3	56.4%	18 (6.6%)	228 (84.1%)	20 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	66.4	295^th of 1019 public elementary schools	71.1%		66	282^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	72.1%	13	55.9	64.8	46.2				56.6	42.4	60.0	51.3				51.0	47.5	51.9	51.3				50.0					$16,958	$1,440	$14,399
Fox Meadows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2960 Emerald St	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2530	536	32	17.0	56.5%	2 (0.4%)	438 (81.7%)	79 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.2%)	31.5	741^st of 1019 public elementary schools	27.3%		15	887^th of 1009 public elementary schools	12.1%	146	22.4	41.2	44.1				35.0	33.3	39.2	28.8				33.5	31.3	37.3	37.3				35.0					$15,770	$2,276	$12,526
Newberry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5540 Newberry Ave	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2518	378	25	15.1	53.7%	4 (1.1%)	265 (70.1%)	103 (27.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	77.1	178^th of 1019 public elementary schools	82.5%		71.8	224^th of 1009 public elementary schools	77.8%	46	49.1	45.7	70.6				53.3	59.6	34.8	79.4				56.2	86.0	80.4	85.3				83.9					$15,468	$1,554	$12,598
Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus	Public, Charter	K-8	3572 Emerald	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 546-9926	254	20	12.7	36.1%	5 (2.0%)	41 (16.1%)	205 (80.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	44.5	572^nd of 1019 public elementary schools	43.9%		37.7	631^st of 1009 public elementary schools	37.5%	59	31.8	40.0	16.7	40.0	52.0	72.0	42.5	18.2	52.0	25.0	64.0	32.0	36.0	38.4	18.2	52.0	29.2	60.0	40.0	28.0	38.4	60.0	64.0	44.0	56.0	$15,368	$1,228	$13,773
Hickory Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3890 Hickory Hill Road	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-1195	616	42	14.8	55.1%	7 (1.1%)	445 (72.2%)	160 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	49.4	501^st of 1019 public elementary schools	50.8%		25.7	781^st of 1009 public elementary schools	22.6%	280	49.3	59.5	22.5				43.5	38.0	63.8	28.8				43.7	42.3	57.5	31.3				43.7					$16,425	$1,772	$13,530
Journey East Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	6870 Winchester Road	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 567-7086	329	19	17.7	59.0%	6 (1.8%)	267 (81.2%)	54 (16.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	34.2	706^th of 1019 public elementary schools	30.7%		42.4	580^th of 1009 public elementary schools	42.5%	126	19.2	26.2	36.4	43.1	36.8		31.9	34.6	31.8	40.9	40.4	39.5		37.0	42.3	36.4	27.3	39.7	50.0		38.8	31.0	44.7		36.5	$7,703	$1,358	$5,979
Power Center Academy Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-5	3540 S. Mendenhall Street	Memphis	38115	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 310-2999	712	48	14.8	58.3%	7 (1.0%)	481 (67.6%)	220 (30.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	26.7	789^th of 1019 public elementary schools	22.6%		38.5	623^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	38.3%	166	20.4	33.9	29.9				28.2	41.1	34.2	24.6				33.0	31.5	38.3	33.9				34.6					$14,740	$1,556	$12,818
Cornerstone Prep Knight Road Campus School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	3237 Knight Road	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Tennessee Public Charter School Commission	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-3645	53	6	9.6	49.4%	2 (3.8%)	41 (77.4%)	9 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	52.2	473^rd of 1019 public elementary schools	53.6%					(n/a)	50.0						50.0	38.5						38.5	42.3						42.3					$20,548	$1,071	$19,477

Frequently Asked Questions about Belle Forest Community School

What is the racial makeup of Belle Forest Community School?

Students at Belle Forest Community School are 78% African American, 21% Hispanic.

How many students attend Belle Forest Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,027 students attended Belle Forest Community School.

What district is Belle Forest Community School in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

What schools do graduates of Belle Forest Community School attend?

Students who attend Belle Forest Community School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hickory Ridge Middle School
High : Kirby High School

Is Belle Forest Community School a good school?

Belle Forest Community School ranks in the bottom 16.8% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Rate Belle Forest Community 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.