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Memphis-Shelby County Schools earned higher marks overall on this year’s state report card, with more schools earning a C or higher and fewer earning Ds in the 2024-2025 school year.
But the number of schools earning the lowest grade, an F, stayed relatively stagnant from last year at 23 total. That’s around 11% of the district’s schools. In a press release Thursday, MSCS leaders celebrated one school — Rozelle Elementary, an arts-focused school in Midtown — for climbing from an F grade to a B in one year.
“These ratings provide a meaningful snapshot of how schools are serving students and where strong progress is emerging,” the district statement said.
This is the third year that the Tennessee Department of Education has released school letter grades in an effort to give parents more easily accessible data on school performance. But the grading system has faced backlash because of its focus on proficiency instead of student growth. MSCS leaders have said that emphasis disadvantages schools serving predominantly students from low-income families.
And as of 2023, the grades can mean consequences. Schools earning Ds or Fs could face state Board of Education hearings, be required to submit corrective action plans, or undergo a state audit.
About half of MSCS schools earned the same letter grade as last year, while one-third improved by at least one letter grade. Two-thirds of the district’s schools earned a C or higher, representing an almost 6 percentage point increase from the 2023-2024 school year.
Sixteen MSCS schools earned As, the same number as last year, which lags behind the state average of one in five schools earning the top grade.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
