Summary:
ZIP code 38115 in Memphis, TN, is served by three public high schools — Kirby High School, Power Center Academy High School, and Bluff City High School — all serving grades 9–12 and collectively educating roughly 1,884 students. Two of the schools belong to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, while Bluff City operates under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. All three rank in the bottom quarter of Tennessee high schools, but they differ sharply in student engagement and outcomes.
Power Center Academy stands out as the strongest overall performer, with a 95.1% graduation rate, a 4.3% dropout rate, and just 13.3% chronic absenteeism — the only school in the ZIP code to beat state averages on those measures. It also posts the best English proficiency rates. Kirby High School is the largest and spends the most per student ($15,021), yet it has the highest chronic absenteeism at 63.1% and a graduation rate of 84.0%. Bluff City High School is the most challenged, with the lowest graduation rate (75.2%), the highest dropout rate (22.9%), and English I proficiency of just 5.5%.
Chronic absenteeism is the clearest differentiator in this cluster. Kirby and Bluff City both have absenteeism rates above 55%, while Power Center's is 13.3% — a gap that tracks closely with graduation and proficiency outcomes. Money alone does not explain the differences: Kirby spends the most but lags Power Center on most measures. That said, Kirby has shown meaningful improvement, rising from the 4th to the 15th percentile in state rankings over two years, with big gains in Geometry and Algebra II. Bluff City also improved in science and math, but its overall picture remains deeply concerning. For parents, Power Center Academy offers the strongest evidence of student persistence and engagement, while attendance and retention are the urgent challenges at Kirby and Bluff City.
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