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Maxine Smith STEAM Academy

Public Grades 6-8

4^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 583 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 99% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Maxine Smith STEAM Academy is a public middle school in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 397 students in grades 6-8. Despite being part of the low-performing Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, this school consistently outperforms the district and the state of Tennessee in academic proficiency across all subject areas.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Maxine Smith STEAM Academy's proficiency rates were significantly higher than the district and state averages, with 78.2% in mathematics, 79.3% in English language arts, 83.9% in science, and 87.8% in social studies. The school also ranks among the top middle schools in Tennessee for various student subgroups, including female students, male students, African American students, Hispanic students, white students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Maxine Smith STEAM Academy's exceptional academic performance, ranking 4th out of 583 middle schools in the state, is particularly noteworthy given the challenges faced by the broader school district. The school's commitment to equity and inclusive practices, as well as its relatively low student-teacher ratio, may be contributing factors to its success. The school's high per-student spending, which has increased significantly in recent years, suggests that adequate funding and resource allocation may also play a role in enabling this level of academic excellence.

439

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,546

Per pupil spending ?

29.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

750 E Parkway S
Memphis, TN 38104-5556

(901) 416-4536

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.4%

White:

31.7%

Two or more races:

8.4%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Maxine Smith STEAM Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2018 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Tennessee average (82% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Tennessee middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg25%

Tennessee avg43%

4^th of 583

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2018

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 32Middle 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	98.8	4 of 583	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	98.2	9 of 587	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.7	17 of 594	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.7	19 of 569	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	85.2	48 of 576	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	99.3	6 of 574	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	96.9	9 of 563	98.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	99.2	2 of 312	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.0	5 of 318	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	3 of 316	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	98.1	4 of 299	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	93.7	5 of 277	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	99.7	3 of 293	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	98.2	3 of 284	98.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	98.4	4 of 546	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	14 of 554	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	17 of 560	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.5	28 of 552	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	81.6	55 of 538	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	98.7	7 of 529	98.7%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	4 of 11	63.6%	★★★★☆
2024	41.6	12 of 15	20.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	9 of 17	47.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	16 of 23	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.9	25 of 39	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.3	13 of 35	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	98.2	5 of 286	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.5	1 of 285	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	98.5	3 of 285	98.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	99.9	1 of 490	99.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.7	1 of 510	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	96.8	2 of 514	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.7	8 of 495	98.4%	★★★★★
2021	89.3	10 of 483	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	99.0	3 of 490	99.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	98.3	6 of 550	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	98.3	8 of 560	98.6%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	13 of 557	97.7%	★★★★★
2022	97.2	10 of 540	98.1%	★★★★★
2021	88.9	31 of 529	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.1	4 of 523	99.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	99.7	1 of 492	99.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.3	3 of 504	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.2	7 of 503	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	11 of 500	97.8%	★★★★★
2021	90.2	33 of 496	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.1	5 of 484	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	5 of 481	99.0%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)100th percentile~ school

African American (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)64th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies88%+39 vs state

Science84%+38 vs state

English Language Arts79%+40 vs state

Mathematics78%+36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Maxine Smith STEAM Academy

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)				TNReady English Language Arts (2025)				TNReady Algebra I (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 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
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		120 (30.2%)	215 (54.2%)	33 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	98.8	4^th of 583 public middle schools	99.3%		98.2	9^th of 587 public middle schools	98.5%	5	78.4	70.2	91.0	78.2	79.1	84.1	74.5	79.3			82.4	84.1	85.4	83.9	79.1	93.1	92.0	87.8	$12,546	$828	$11,351
Lester Prep	Public, Charter	6-8	320 Carpenter ST	Memphis	38112	Shelby County	Tennessee Public Charter School Commission	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-3640	219	19	11.5		2 (0.9%)	205 (93.6%)	9 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	13.3	512^th of 583 public middle schools	12.2%		20.5	472^nd of 587 public middle schools	19.6%	40	8.7	10.4	15.7	11.2	7.2	7.6	5.9	7.0			11.6	29.9	23.5	21.4	33.3	40.3	5.9	28.3	$18,343	$2,193	$16,150
Bellevue Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	575 S Bellevue Blvd	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4488	606	35	17.4		7 (1.2%)	527 (87.0%)	37 (6.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (5.3%)	27.3	443^rd of 583 public middle schools	24.0%		26.9	433^rd of 587 public middle schools	26.2%	10	12.0	14.5	15.8	14.2	26.5	24.1	22.1	24.1	14.3	14.3	25.1	45.4	36.5	35.9	24.0	40.2	34.1	33.0	$13,738	$1,289	$11,474
University Middle School	Public	6-8	330 Fogelman DR	Memphis	38152	Shelby County	University Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 678-4200	0																		(n/a)																			$13,446	$219	$13,068
Sherwood Middle	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		4 (0.6%)	468 (69.9%)	185 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	5	576^th of 583 public middle schools	1.2%		4.2	587^th of 587 public middle schools	0.0%	11			7.7								6.2	17.0	8.6	10.6	5.3	20.4	10.7	12.0	$14,013	$1,948	$11,204
Veritas College Preparatory	Public, Charter	6-8	1500 Dunn AVE	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 526-1900	135	11	12.2		0 (0.0%)	125 (92.6%)	5 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	6.3	566^th of 583 public middle schools	2.9%		9	558^th of 587 public middle schools	4.9%	8	6.7	6.4	9.5	7.5	13.3	6.4	7.1	9.0			6.7	14.9	14.3	11.9	11.1	21.3	16.7	16.4	$19,447	$1,512	$17,569
Treadwell Middle School	Public	6-8	920 N Highland St	Memphis	38122	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-6100	662	37	17.7		39 (5.9%)	222 (33.5%)	374 (56.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (3.6%)	9	549^th of 583 public middle schools	5.8%		15.4	504^th of 587 public middle schools	14.1%	45	12.1	13.1	6.0	10.5	11.6	14.6	7.2	11.1			20.5	18.0	12.6	17.2	21.5	21.2	15.0	19.3	$14,256	$1,747	$11,810
Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School	Public, Charter	5-8	168 Jefferson AVE	Memphis	38103	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 474-0955	349	26	13.4		9 (2.6%)	316 (90.5%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	47.8	294^th of 583 public middle schools	49.6%		34.3	385^th of 587 public middle schools	34.4%	91	37.5	23.6	52.5	36.6	30.4	16.0	12.7	20.5			41.1	32.1	49.4	40.1	60.7	56.6	55.0	57.7	$16,860	$1,562	$14,931
Kingsbury Middle	Public	6-8	1276 N Graham St	Memphis	38122	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-6040	502	30	16.7		36 (7.2%)	100 (19.9%)	343 (68.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	6.6	563^rd of 583 public middle schools	3.4%		8.8	561^st of 587 public middle schools	4.4%	2	16.3	6.4	9.9	11.1	15.0	5.0	5.6	8.8			19.4	7.9	8.8	12.3	14.4	6.3		8.5	$12,315	$1,935	$10,013
American Way Middle	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		2 (0.3%)	416 (62.0%)	234 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	10.4	527^th of 583 public middle schools	9.6%		10.7	537^th of 587 public middle schools	8.5%	10	11.7	12.5	9.6	11.3	16.2	9.7	8.1	11.5			22.9	25.0	19.0	22.3	17.3	23.9	18.5	19.8	$15,004	$2,216	$11,901

Frequently Asked Questions about Maxine Smith STEAM Academy

What is the racial makeup of Maxine Smith STEAM Academy?

Students at Maxine Smith STEAM Academy are 52% African American, 32% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What district is Maxine Smith STEAM Academy in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

How many students attend Maxine Smith STEAM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Maxine Smith STEAM Academy.

Is Maxine Smith STEAM Academy a good school?

Yes! Maxine Smith STEAM Academy is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 4^th of 583 Tennessee middle schools.

Rate Maxine Smith STEAM Academy!

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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.