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Memphis
City Schools Facts
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Memphis City
Schools
2597 Avery Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38112
(901) 416-5300
Relationships,
Responsibilities, Results
Memphis City Schools
is the largest school system in the State of
Tennessee and the 21st largest school system
in the nation and serves more than 119,000
students among 191 schools in grades K-12.
Created as a special school district by a private
act of the Tennessee General Assembly in 1869,
Memphis City Schools (MCS) employs 16,500 people,
including about 8,000 teachers, making it the
second largest employer in the City of Memphis.
Our
Demographics
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191
schools (112 elementary, 25 middle, 4
junior high, 31 high schools, 6 career
and technology,
7 special schools, and 6 charter) are operated
by MCS.
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Approximately 87 percent of MCS
students are black.
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Approximately 9 percent
of MCS students are white.
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Approximately 4 percent
of MCS students represent other nationalities.
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Approximately
71 percent of MCS students are eligible for
free or reduced lunch.
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14.4 percent of MCS students
are enrolled in special education programs,
and of that number,
12 percent are enrolled in special programs
for gifted students.
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In 2003-04, the system-wide
graduation rate was 61 percent, with 5,532
Memphis City Schools
students earning a terminal document (regular
or honors diploma, GED, high school certificate
or special education diploma). Of those students,
81 percent earned a regular or honors diploma
on time (four years plus one summer).
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Memphis
City Schools employs approximately 16,500 people,
making the district the second
largest employer in the City of Memphis and
the State of Tennessee.
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Approximately 8,000
teachers are employed by Memphis City Schools.
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Approximately
95 percent of Memphis City Schools teachers
are “highly qualified” under
No Child Left Behind Law standards.
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53 percent
of Memphis City Schools teachers hold
a master’s
degree or higher.
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Approximately 51 percent of
MCS teachers are black.
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Approximately 48 percent
of MCS teachers are white.
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Approximately 1 percent
of MCS teachers represent other nationalities.
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Approximately $65 million
in college scholarships were awarded to the
2004 senior class.
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Memphis City Schools had
the most students named as National Merit Semifinalists
(22)
than any school system in the State of
Tennessee in 2004-05.
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Memphis City Schools has more
National Board Certified Teachers than any
school system
in the State of Tennessee. MCS has 40 National
Board Certified Teachers, including 18
certified in December 2004, which was more than half
of the 39 teachers certified during that
time in Tennessee.
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100 percent of our schools
are accredited through by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
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Schools
across the district are rated as among the
best in the state and nation, including
White Station High (ranked in top 20 in
U.S. by Forbes magazine), Keystone Elementary
(one of only 6 schools in the state named as Blue
Ribbon School by U.S. Dept. of Education),
and John P. Freeman Optional School (one
of only 12 schools in the U.S. honored by American
Board of Teacher Excellence), to name a
few.
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State-of-the-art facilities
for learning and professional development
are a
part of
Memphis City Schools, including the Teaching & Learning
Academy, the first of its kind in
the nation to be operated by a public school system,
and the Telecommunications Center
for radio and
television, the only one like it
in the State of Tennessee.
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All classrooms in every school
are Internet-wired to handle at least six computers.
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Memphis
City Schools was chosen as only one of five
city school districts to participate
in the New Leaders for New Schools project,
which trains educators to become outstanding
principals in urban schools. More than
$4 million was raised by local foundations for this initiative.
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Memphis City Schools
was awarded a $1.6 million grant to bring the
New Teacher Project
to the district to develop new programs and improve
old ones to attract and keep highly-qualified
teachers.
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Innovative services for students
and parents are available, including
a district-wide Customer Relations Department
for parents (one-of-a-kind
in Mid-South), the Deaf Education
program at White Station High (first of its
kind in Tennessee),
Shrine School for disabled students
(top school in Mid-South for recreational
therapy), and
the Colonial Vision & Hearing
Limited Centers (for students with
visual and hearing
impairments),
to name a few.
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More than 650 business and
community partners donate their time and
money to MCS students
through the Adopt-A-School program, which
is being imitated around the country.
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Memphis City Schools produce
a number of successful alumni annually, such
as actresses
Kathy
Bates and Cybil Shepherd, musicians Elvis Presley
and Isaac Hayes, entrepreneurs Avron Fogleman
and Abe Plough, corporate executives Kemmons
Wilson of Holiday Inn and Vicki Roman of
Coca-Cola, astrophysicist Alan Lightman, and civil rights
activists Benjamin Hooks and Maxine Smith
to name a few.
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Tennessee ranks
46th in the nation (among 50 states) in per-pupil
spending for K-12
education.
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Approximately 77 percent
of MCS’ operating
budget is devoted to instruction,
primarily of salaries for teachers, principals
and other instructional staff.
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Approximately
13 percent is devoted to facilities operations,
including maintenance and
utilities costs associated with the operation of 191
schools.
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The remaining 10 percent covers
a variety of areas including supplies and materials,
furniture and equipment, professional services, contracted
services, administration, and transportation.
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Only
1 percent of the MCS’ operating
budget is devoted to administration.
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MCS
has operated without an increase in the operating
budget each of the last three
years. The last tax increase approved by the Shelby
County Commission occurred three years
ago in 2001.
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To pay rising costs for utilities
and new federal mandates for education
without any
increase in funding, more than $55 million has been
cut from MCS’ operating
budget in the last two years,
including $25.28
million
in reductions made in 2004.
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The district
has reduced school construction costs
by 30 percent since 2000-01.
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The independent
MGT Study was implemented during the 2003-04
school year, and cost-cutting
measures recommended by the study will save MCS over
$7.4 million over a five-year period.
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To increase efficiencies and
accountability, the district is streamlining
and combining
administrative areas, using more energy-efficient
technology and outsourcing some services.
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Memphis
City Schools is funded by various sources,
including the State of Tennessee (44.7
percent of total or $346 million), Shelby County (29.8
percent or $230.8 million), a portion
of county sales taxes (12.6 percent or $97.3 million),
the City of Memphis (11.5 percent
or $88.9 million) from a personal property
tax for “school
purposes” done annually since
1905, federal funds (1.1 percent
or $8.3 million),
and use
of MCS fund balance reserves (about
1 percent or $5.1 million).
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Memphis
City Schools offers optional programs at
31 elementary, middle, junior
and senior high schools throughout the city, giving
parents a number of educational choices for their child.
Optional programs include courses
that focus on college preparation, creative and performing
arts, aviation, travel, tourism,
health sciences, banking and finance, international studies
and a variety of approaches to
education.
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English-as-a-Second-Language
(ESL) programs operate in 45 elementary schools,
11 middle schools and six high schools, serving more
than 4,885 students from a variety
of nationalities.
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Memphis City Schools offers early
childhood education programs in 54 schools,
serving more than 1,200 students.
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12,000 students participate in
Memphis Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association
(MIAA) sanctioned
sports, including 13 on the high school level and
seven on the middle school level.
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Memphis City Schools Nutrition
Services operates a state-of-the-art facility,
serving
approximately 115,000 meals every day.
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MCS employees are dedicated
to the safety of the district’s school
children. The system uses a variety of safety
measures and tactics
in schools, including metal
detectors,
the
Officer in the School program,
parent patrol groups, cameras, keyless
entry systems, buzzer
entry systems, ID badges,
a detailed emergency response plan and required
visitor check-in.
2004-05 Enrollment Information
(As of the Second Reporting Period, ending 10/05/04)
| Kindergarten |
9,567 |
| 1st grade |
9,698 |
| 2nd grade |
9,134 |
| 3rd grade |
9.052 |
| 4th grade |
8,967 |
| 5th grade |
9,263 |
| 6th grade |
9,581 |
| 7th grade |
9,830 |
| 8th grade |
8,910 |
| 9th grade |
10,730 |
| 10th grade |
8,735 |
| 11th grade |
7,124 |
| 12th grade |
6,057 |
| N (special education options, 7.8.9) |
2,373 |
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| TOTAL |
119,021 |
Breakdown by Race
| White |
10,629 |
| Black |
102,490 |
| Hispanic |
4,368 |
| Asian |
1,433 |
| Indian |
80 |
| Pacific Islander |
21 |
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| TOTAL |
119,021 |
Breakdown by Sex
| Female |
58,150 |
| Male |
60,871 |
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| TOTAL |
119,021 |
NOTE: Enrollment figures fluctuate
during the school year. As of December
17, 2004, there were 120,162 students in
the Memphis City
Schools.
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