Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38127

Zip code 38127 in Memphis, Tennessee is home to 17 schools serving approximately 6,887 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with 13 elementary campuses, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools largely within the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. The standout school is Delano Elementary School, which ranks in the 80th percentile statewide and exceeds Tennessee averages in math, ELA, and science, with just 11.9% chronic absenteeism. Memphis STEM Academy is another bright spot, meeting or beating state averages in math and ELA while climbing from the 39th to the 60th percentile. Memphis Business Academy Elementary School and Libertas School of Memphis also perform competitively, with Libertas particularly strong in social studies.

However, the zip code as a whole trails the state by 16 to 22 points in core subjects, dragged down by a long tail of very low-performing schools. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, averaging around 33% — nearly double the state rate. Whitney Elementary School (70%) and Grandview Heights Middle School (63.3%) have the highest rates, while Georgian Hills Middle School (5.5%) and Hawkins Mill Elementary School (8.3%) are remarkably low — yet those two schools still show very low proficiency, proving attendance alone does not guarantee success. Middle school is the weakest segment: Grandview Heights and Georgian Hills Middle rank in the 1st and 15th percentiles, respectively, while Compass Community School Frayser Campus, a K-8 school, posts far stronger middle-grade results in the same neighborhood.

High school outcomes show a mixed picture. Trezevant High School has climbed from the 2nd to the 14th percentile over three years with an 83.6% graduation rate, while Memphis Business Academy High School graduates 86.7% of students but has slipped to the 5th percentile. Both schools graduate many students who do not demonstrate grade-level proficiency on state tests, highlighting a graduation-versus-mastery gap. Encouragingly, several schools — including Libertas, Compass, and Memphis STEM — are improving, showing that meaningful success is possible even in a challenging district context.