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Lester Prep

Q: Is Lester Prep a good school?

Lester Prep ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Tennessee middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Lester Prep?

In the 2024-25 school year, 204 students attended Lester Prep.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Lester Prep?

Students at Lester Prep are 96% African American, 2% White, 1% Hispanic.

Public, Charter Grades 6-8

517^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 594 Tennessee Middle Schools

Better than 13% of Tennessee middle schools

Summary

Lester Prep is a small public charter middle school in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 204 students in grades 6–8 under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, a district that ranks in the bottom 10% of Tennessee districts. The school's overall statewide ranking has been consistently low, landing between the 12th and 20th percentiles over the past four years and earning one star each year.

Academically, Lester Prep trails both the state and its own charter district by wide margins in every tested subject. In 2025–26, just 11.9% of students scored proficient in math and 13.0% in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 43.0% and 40.6%. Chronic absenteeism is the school's most pressing challenge: 48.1% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, nearly 2.5 times the state rate of 18.3%. Nearby schools like White Station Middle School (12.4%) and Kingsbury Middle School (10.9%) have dramatically lower absenteeism, showing that improvement is possible even in similar settings.

Lester Prep spends $18,343 per student—well above most nearby schools, including KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle School ($12,445) and Maxine Smith STEAM Academy ($12,546)—yet outcomes remain low despite a low student-teacher ratio of about 10 to 11.5. There are bright spots: Special Education students ranked in the 72nd percentile statewide in 2025–26, ELA proficiency improved from 7.0% to 13.0% in the latest year, and Science and Social Studies scores are competitive with several nearby schools despite being below state averages. Still, 8th grade ELA proficiency sits at just 5.2%, suggesting achievement gaps widen as students progress through the middle grades.

204

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,343

Per pupil spending ?

320 Carpenter Street
Memphis, TN 38112

(901) 416-3640

District: Tennessee Public Charter School Commission

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.6%

White:

2.0%

Hispanic:

1.5%

See top rated Tennessee middle schools

Compare Lester Prep to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2023 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (19% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 18% Tennessee)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg32%

Tennessee avg45%

517^th of 594

Tennessee public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 4 pts since 2023

From bottom 17% (2023) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission

127^th of 141Tennessee Public Charter School Commission 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
2026	13.6	517 of 594	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	512 of 583	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	472 of 587	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	493 of 594	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	247 of 328	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	245 of 312	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.2	193 of 318	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.7	211 of 316	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	463 of 546	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	452 of 554	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	452 of 560	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	372 of 478	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.8	400 of 490	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	363 of 510	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	389 of 514	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	490 of 550	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	453 of 560	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	490 of 557	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2026	53.8	97 of 349	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	28.5	240 of 332	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.9	109 of 299	63.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)72nd percentile+59 vs school

African American (2026)25th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Tennessee (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies30%-22 vs state

Science22%-25 vs state

English Language Arts13%-28 vs state

Mathematics12%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lester Prep

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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 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 6th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 7th Grade	TNReady Algebra I 8th Grade	TNReady Algebra I All Grades	TNReady Geometry 7th Grade	TNReady Geometry 8th 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
Lester Prep	Public, Charter	6-8	320 Carpenter Street	Memphis	38112	Shelby County	Tennessee Public Charter School Commission	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 416-3640	219	19	11.5		2 (0.9%)	205 (93.6%)	9 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	13.6	517^th of 594 public middle schools	13.0%		13.3	512^th of 583 public middle schools	12.2%	5	13.6	5.6	15.3	11.9	16.3	16.7	5.2	13.0								21.0	25.9	18.6	21.6	39.5	33.3	13.6	29.9	$18,343	$2,193	$16,150
Maxine Smith STEAM Academy	Public	6-8	750 E Parkway S	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	No	(901) 416-4536	397	24	16.8	29.4%	120 (30.2%)	215 (54.2%)	33 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.3%)	94.5	28^th of 594 public middle schools	95.3%		98.8	4^th of 583 public middle schools	99.3%	24	48.4	74.2	59.1	60.7	72.0	80.5	72.5	75.1			93.8	94.4		≥ 95%	≥ 95%	73.9	75.5	80.3	76.4	83.4	82.4	83.1	83.0	$12,546	$828	$11,351
Treadwell Middle School	Public	6-8	920 N Highland St	Memphis	38122	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-6100	662	37	17.7	97.8%	39 (5.9%)	222 (33.5%)	374 (56.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (3.6%)	7.1	569^th of 594 public middle schools	4.2%		9	549^th of 583 public middle schools	5.8%	20	< 5%	11.8	9.0	8.2	9.0	9.3	9.9	9.4								14.7	20.2	16.4	17.0	15.0	21.0	16.0	17.4	$14,256	$1,747	$11,810
University Middle School	Public	6-8	330 Fogelman Drive	Memphis	38152	Shelby County	University Schools - Memphis	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(901) 678-4200	0											94.6	25^th of 594 public middle schools	95.8%					(n/a)	68.8	66.3	50.0	63.6	73.1	65.9	71.4	70.1			≥ 95%	≥ 95%				75.3	78.0	65.3	74.2	67.7	85.6	88.3	80.0	$13,446	$219	$13,068
Kingsbury Middle School	Public	6-8	1276 N Graham St	Memphis	38122	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-6040	502	30	16.7	98.3%	36 (7.2%)	100 (19.9%)	343 (68.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	7.5	566^th of 594 public middle schools	4.7%		6.6	563^rd of 583 public middle schools	3.4%	3	13.4	7.6	7.9	9.5	17.9	7.6	< 5%	9.4								17.2	17.0	16.4	16.9	20.9	16.5	15.8	17.6	$12,315	$1,935	$10,013
Sherwood Middle School	Public	6-8	3480 Rhodes Ave	Memphis	38111	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(901) 416-4870	670	46	14.5	96.8%	4 (0.6%)	468 (69.9%)	185 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	4.2	584^th of 594 public middle schools	1.7%		5	576^th of 583 public middle schools	1.2%	8	< 5%	< 5%	6.1	< 5%	8.8	< 5%	< 5%	5.7								9.1	10.2	14.1	11.1	11.2	15.0	8.0	11.4	$14,013	$1,948	$11,204
Bellevue Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	575 S Bellevue Blvd	Memphis	38104	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-4488	606	35	17.4	68.9%	7 (1.2%)	527 (87.0%)	37 (6.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (5.3%)	24	470^th of 594 public middle schools	20.9%		27.3	443^rd of 583 public middle schools	24.0%	27	11.3	16.6	21.7	16.7	26.6	26.2	14.9	22.3								24.9	42.8	27.7	31.9	23.7	47.6	30.8	34.3	$13,738	$1,289	$11,474
Veritas College Preparatory School	Public, Charter	6-8	1500 Dunn Avenue	Memphis	38106	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 526-1900	135	11	12.2	94.8%	0 (0.0%)	125 (92.6%)	5 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	7.5	565^th of 594 public middle schools	4.9%		6.3	566^th of 583 public middle schools	2.9%	1	8.5	9.8	12.5	10.2	10.6	12.2	12.2	11.6								12.8	9.8	7.3	10.1	29.8	14.6	12.2	19.4	$19,447	$1,512	$17,569
KIPP Memphis Collegiate Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	2110 Howell Ave	Memphis	38108	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(901) 791-9390	300	24	12.7	79.9%	5 (1.7%)	278 (92.7%)	11 (3.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	11.3	532^nd of 594 public middle schools	10.4%		16	499^th of 583 public middle schools	14.4%	33	8.6	17.4	22.5	16.4	13.6	12.0	6.7	10.7								21.0	19.8	20.2	20.3	33.3	19.8	15.7	22.6	$12,445	$1,457	$10,621
White Station Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	5465 Mason Rd	Memphis	38120	Shelby County	Memphis-Shelby County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(901) 416-2184	1,091	69	15.8	45.7%	263 (24.1%)	465 (42.6%)	198 (18.1%)	80 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	84 (7.7%)	72.1	137^th of 594 public middle schools	76.9%		79.4	85^th of 583 public middle schools	85.4%	52	38.9	50.6	36.3	42.4	54.1	50.1	43.7	49.3		≥ 95%	≥ 95%	≥ 95%		≥ 95%	≥ 95%	54.3	55.1	44.9	52.0	61.0	60.6	55.1	58.9	$13,651	$1,299	$11,699

Frequently Asked Questions about Lester Prep

Is Lester Prep a good school?

Lester Prep ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Tennessee middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lester Prep?

Students at Lester Prep are 96% African American, 2% White, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Lester Prep?

In the 2024-25 school year, 204 students attended Lester Prep.

What district is Lester Prep in?

Tennessee Public Charter School Commission

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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.