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Memphis Merit Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

965^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Memphis Merit Academy is a public charter elementary school serving 355 students in grades K-5 in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. Unfortunately, Memphis Merit Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Tennessee elementary schools over the past 4 school years, also receiving a 0-star rating.

The school significantly underperforms compared to district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 13.2% of students were proficient or better in Math compared to 22.6% for the district and 42.2% for the state. Memphis Merit Academy also struggles with very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.3% to 29.5% over the past 4 school years, much higher than the district average. The school's performance is particularly low for student subgroups such as Females, Males, African Americans, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the same district, such as Getwell Elementary, South Park Elementary, and Willow Oaks Elementary, also perform poorly and are ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Tennessee elementary schools. The only exception is Leadership Preparatory Charter School, which significantly outperforms Memphis Merit Academy and the district/state averages across all subject areas and grade levels. This highlights the potential for charter schools to provide better educational outcomes in the same geographic area.

424

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,046

Per pupil spending ?

4775 American Way
Memphis, TN 38118

(901) 617-3690

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.5%

Hispanic:

3.8%

Two or more races:

0.7%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Memphis Merit Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 9th percentile in 2022 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (15% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2022

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg24%

Tennessee avg42%

965^th of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 4 pts since 2022

From bottom 9% (2022) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

99^th of 120Elementary 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	7.8	965 of 1009	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	971 of 1018	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	942 of 1020	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	914 of 1000	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	438 of 498	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	431 of 498	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	412 of 500	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	354 of 483	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	938 of 986	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	918 of 990	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	843 of 989	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.3	695 of 975	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	807 of 843	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	834 of 853	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	828 of 865	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	777 of 858	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	943 of 984	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	961 of 991	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	947 of 987	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)12th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts17%-22 vs state

Science16%-30 vs state

Mathematics13%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Memphis Merit Academy

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 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 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
Memphis Merit Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	4775 American Way	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 617-3690	355	20	17.7		0 (0.0%)	338 (95.2%)	12 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	7.8	965^th of 1009 public elementary schools	4.4%		8.8	971^st of 1018 public elementary schools	4.6%	6	13.6	14.3	12.7	12.2			13.2	22.4	18.5	12.7	12.2			16.7	13.6	25.5	15.9	7.3			16.1					$14,046	$1,385	$12,294
Evans Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4949 Cottonwood Rd	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2504	448	28	16.2		4 (0.9%)	276 (61.6%)	158 (35.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	16.4	873^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	13.5%		13.7	907^th of 1018 public elementary schools	10.9%	34	27.9	21.5	19.2				23.0	26.2	30.8	20.8				26.3	28.3	20.0	19.2				22.6					$15,480	$1,435	$12,932
Cornerstone Prep School	Public, Charter	K-2	5221 Cottonwood RD	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Tennessee Public Charter School Commission	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-3640	53	6	9.6		2 (3.8%)	41 (77.4%)	9 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)								(n/a)																										$20,548	$1,071	$19,477
Willow Oaks Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4417 Willow Rd	Memphis	38117	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-2196	607	38	15.8		20 (3.3%)	219 (36.1%)	355 (58.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	23.7	806^th of 1009 public elementary schools	20.1%		21.6	826^th of 1018 public elementary schools	18.9%	20	31.5	24.7	19.1				25.4	37.0	30.8	23.4				30.7	32.4	34.1	21.3				29.7					$14,473	$1,531	$11,987
Parkway Village Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3000 Claudette RD	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-0870	828	56	14.7		13 (1.6%)	359 (43.4%)	451 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	23.9	803^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	20.4%		16.1	881^st of 1018 public elementary schools	13.5%	78	26.4	37.4	27.3				30.7	23.4	21.4	28.1				24.2	37.3	35.9	24.2				32.4					$14,796	$1,644	$12,024
Leadership Preparatory Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	4190 Elliston RD	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 512-4495	437	29	15.0		10 (2.3%)	320 (73.2%)	97 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	48.9	498^th of 1009 public elementary schools	50.6%		54.6	413^th of 1018 public elementary schools	59.4%	85	43.5	26.2	62.3	37.0	40.4	54.1	43.9	30.4	35.7	43.4	38.9	35.1	16.2	34.3	54.3	33.3	58.5	35.2	57.9	56.8	49.5	35.2	52.6	67.6	50.0	$17,160	$1,478	$15,316
Sheffield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4290 Chuck Ave	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-2360	499	33	15.2		2 (0.4%)	145 (29.1%)	350 (70.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	12.9	912^th of 1009 public elementary schools	9.6%		10	954^th of 1018 public elementary schools	6.3%	42	5.2	40.4	16.7				20.3	10.2	19.2	6.3				11.9	13.8	32.7	27.1				24.1					$17,168	$1,673	$14,098
Fox Meadows Elementary	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		2 (0.4%)	438 (81.7%)	79 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.2%)	15	887^th of 1009 public elementary schools	12.1%		27.2	764^th of 1018 public elementary schools	25.0%	123	7.0	23.3	23.0				18.0	25.4	40.0	21.0				28.7	20.3	21.7	14.5				18.8					$15,770	$2,276	$12,526
Getwell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2795 Getwell Road	Memphis	38118	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-0267	551	30	18.3		14 (2.5%)	419 (76.0%)	114 (20.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	9.7	945^th of 1009 public elementary schools	6.3%		9.5	958^th of 1018 public elementary schools	5.9%	13	10.6	22.6	18.5				17.1	18.2	22.6	12.1				17.5	21.2	19.4	18.5				19.7					$14,949	$1,974	$11,734
South Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1720 Getwell RD	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-5024	494	36	13.7		17 (3.4%)	189 (38.3%)	279 (56.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	8.4	960^th of 1009 public elementary schools	4.9%		10.6	945^th of 1018 public elementary schools	7.2%	15	11.7	16.1					10.4	16.9	23.2	5.0				16.2	23.4	19.6	5.0				17.9					$16,043	$1,885	$12,969

Frequently Asked Questions about Memphis Merit Academy

Is Memphis Merit Academy a good school?

Memphis Merit Academy ranks in the bottom 4.4% of Tennessee elementary schools.

How many students attend Memphis Merit Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 424 students attended Memphis Merit Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Memphis Merit Academy?

Students at Memphis Merit Academy are 96% African American, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Memphis Merit Academy in?

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

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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.