Tara Oaks Elementary School

Tara Oaks Elementary School serves 640 students in grades PK-5 in Collierville, TN, a suburb of Memphis, and belongs to Collierville Schools, the top-ranked district in Tennessee. Historically one of the state's strongest elementaries — ranking as high as #15 and consistently in the top 2-3% — Tara Oaks Elementary School saw its 2025-26 state rank slip to #71 (93rd percentile), a clear step back from #16 in 2023-24 and #30 in 2024-25. The school remains 5-star rated but now sits 5th among Collierville's six elementaries, behind schools it once outperformed like Crosswind Elementary, Bailey Station Elementary, and Schilling Farms Elementary.

Academically, students remain far above state averages: 76.7% are proficient in math and 78.2% in English language arts, versus state rates of 43.0% and 40.6%. However, the school's advantage over its district is narrowing, and science proficiency (71.7%) now falls below the Collierville district average (75.0%). A striking grade-level pattern points to a cohort-specific issue: 3rd graders trail district averages in all three subjects, including a 15.7-point gap in math, while 5th graders post the highest math scores among all Collierville elementaries. Nearby schools, including Germantown's Dogwood Elementary, now outrank Tara Oaks in multiple subjects.

Attendance is a standout strength — just 7.2% chronic absenteeism versus 18.3% statewide. Per-pupil spending jumped 17.6% to $16,052, higher than several better-scoring neighbors like Crosswind and Bailey Station, raising questions about efficiency. While overall rankings remain strong, certain student subgroups show more volatile results, and the gap between the school's high overall rank and lower scores for some groups warrants monitoring. Tara Oaks remains a very good school with capacity to recover, but the latest results deserve close attention from leadership.