Summary:
Zip code 38126 in Memphis, Tennessee, is served by 4 schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which together enroll 944 students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in an area with deep educational challenges. The district itself ranks in the bottom 3% of Tennessee districts, so all four schools face significant headwinds, but outcomes vary considerably from school to school.
The clear academic leader is Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School, the only school in the zip code that beats the district average in every subject, including a standout 72.7% proficiency rate in 7th grade social studies. It also has the highest per-student spending at $29,906 and its state ranking jumped from the 13th to the 29th percentile. Hollis F. Price Middle College excels in attendance and graduation, with a 95.8% graduation rate, the lowest chronic absenteeism in the area at 11.7%, and strong biology and English II scores that outpace the district. Both smaller schools, with under 100 students each, show that concentrated resources and attention can make a measurable difference.
By contrast, B. T. Washington High School and Larose Elementary School lag badly on most measures. Larose has just 10–14% proficiency in core subjects, 42% chronic absenteeism, and ranks in the 3rd percentile statewide, with the lowest spending per student at $16,651. B.T. Washington carries a 17.8% dropout rate and a graduation rate of 80.8%, though its Algebra II proficiency (40.4%) actually beats the state average. The overall pattern points to small-school environments, lower absenteeism, and higher per-student spending as levers for success, while Larose and B.T. Washington show that urgent intervention is needed.
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