Caldwell-Guthrie School

Caldwell-Guthrie School is a PK-8 school in Memphis, TN, serving 280 students in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, and it ranks near the very bottom of Tennessee schools with a 0-star rating and single-digit proficiency rates in most subjects. The school’s overall performance places it in the 0th percentile statewide, and it serves students through 8th grade, though middle school results are especially weak. For example, 7th and 8th grade ELA proficiency are both just 5.9%, and science proficiency drops from 13.6% in 5th grade to around 8% in later grades.

One of the most striking red flags is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 59.0% for the 2024-2025 school year—nearly double the district average of 30.2% and more than triple the state average of 18.3%. This means roughly 3 out of every 5 students are chronically absent, making sustained academic progress very difficult. Test scores reflect this challenge: all-grades science proficiency is 8.4% versus 28.4% for the district, and 3rd grade math is 5.1% versus 26.3% for the district. Even in comparison to other schools serving similar student populations, Caldwell-Guthrie ranks in the bottom 1% for both African American students and low socioeconomic status students, suggesting school-level challenges rather than simply student demographics. Interestingly, spending is not the issue—the school spends $14,974 per student, nearly identical to Idlewild Elementary, which posts far better results.

Nearby schools in the same district prove that high performance is achievable in the same neighborhoods. Perea Elementary, just 0.6 miles away, has all-grades ELA proficiency of 55.7% and 4th grade ELA at 75.4%, while Caldwell-Guthrie’s ELA scores are in the single digits. Idlewild Elementary spends almost exactly the same per student but achieves 68.9% science proficiency and 68.5% ELA proficiency. Even among lower-performing nearby schools like Whitney Elementary, Caldwell-Guthrie stands out as an extreme outlier. The most hopeful takeaway is that geographical proximity is not destiny—schools within a mile are demonstrating dramatically better outcomes, highlighting the urgent need for attention to attendance, instructional quality, and school culture rather than additional funding alone.