Memphis Merit Academy

Memphis Merit Academy is a K-8 school in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district serving 424 students in the Memphis, Tennessee area, and it currently ranks in the 8th percentile of all Tennessee elementary and middle schools with a zero-star overall rating. Proficiency rates for the 2025-2026 school year were just 12.1% in math and 18.6% in English language arts, compared to state averages of 43.0% and 40.6%, respectively. Science (25.3% proficient) and social studies (11.4%) also fell well short of state averages, and the school has ranked in the bottom 10% of Tennessee schools for five consecutive years.

There are a few meaningful bright spots. Chronic absenteeism is 21.1%, which is significantly better than the district average of 30.2% and far lower than nearby schools like Getwell Elementary School (39.2%) and Fox Meadows Elementary School (31.8%). The school has also shown real progress among its low-income students, climbing from the 2nd percentile to the 13th percentile in state subgroup rankings over the past two years, and its special education students rank in the 23rd percentile. However, 6th grade is a major drop-off point: only 8.0% of 6th graders were proficient in math and just 8.0% were proficient in ELA, compared to 16.4% in 5th grade math and 20.0% in 5th grade ELA.

Per-student spending at Memphis Merit Academy is the lowest in the immediate area at $14,046, down about 15% over four years from $16,551. The nearby Leadership Preparatory Charter School, about a mile away, spends more than $3,000 more per student and posts dramatically higher proficiency rates across every subject—43.0% in math versus Merit's 12.1%, and 52.0% in science versus 25.3%. These comparisons don't tell the full story, but they highlight significant resource gaps. While Memphis Merit Academy remains a very low-performing school, its strong attendance record and encouraging gains among underserved student groups provide a foundation that targeted investment could build on.