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City University School of Independence

Q: How many students attend City University School of Independence?

In the 2024-25 school year, 13 students attended City University School of Independence.

Q: What is the racial makeup of City University School of Independence?

Students at City University School of Independence are 100% African American.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

Summary

City University School of Independence is a public charter high school in Memphis, Tennessee that serves grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 14 students. The school is part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which is ranked 135 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While City University School of Independence has relatively strong performance in certain subject areas like Biology I, it struggles in others like US History. The school has also experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 18.9% to 33.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's student-teacher ratio has fluctuated significantly, from 2.6 to 10.1, which may impact the consistency of instruction and support for students.

When compared to nearby high schools like Oakhaven High, Westwood High, and Whitehaven High, City University School of Independence generally underperforms in terms of student proficiency, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. However, the school's performance for its African American student population is stronger than the district and state averages, suggesting that the school may be providing targeted support and interventions for this subgroup.

Students ?

10.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,792

Per pupil spending ?

86.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1475 East Shelby Drive
Memphis, TN 38116

(901) 775-2219

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

100.0%

See top rated Tennessee public schools

Compare City University School of Independence to nearby high schools!

At a glance

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Not ranked this year

City University School of Independence did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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
2025	27.9	283 of 389	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	94 of 233	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.2	39 of 208	81.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2021	33.4	233 of 340	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)60th percentile+32 vs school

Female (2021)31st percentile

★

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Schools Near City University School of Independence

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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 10th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 11th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 12th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Algebra II 9th Grade	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 10th Grade	TNReady English I 11th Grade	TNReady English I 12th Grade	TNReady English I All Grades	TNReady English II 9th Grade	TNReady English II 10th Grade	TNReady English II 11th Grade	TNReady English II 12th Grade	TNReady English II All Grades	TNReady Geometry 9th Grade	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									< 5%				< 5%			< 5%		< 5%		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)																< 5%		< 5%																																	$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	< 5%	< 5%	< 5%		13.7	10.0		12.0					< 5%				< 5%	< 5%	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	< 5%	24.0		32.9			32.1					< 5%				< 5%		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			< 5%	< 5%	< 5%		< 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 Independence

How many students attend City University School of Independence?

In the 2024-25 school year, 13 students attended City University School of Independence.

What is the racial makeup of City University School of Independence?

Students at City University School of Independence are 100% African American.

What district is City University School of Independence in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

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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.