Student demographics – 86 percent African-American, 8 percent white and 6 percent other races/nationalities.
The number of students served by ESL/ELL (English as a Second Language/English Language Learners) has more than doubled since the 2000-01 school year, going from 2,096 to 4,728 in 2006-07. Forty-two different languages are represented.
Average class size is 20 in grades K – 3, 25 in grades 4 – 6, and 30 in grades 7 – 12.
The 2006 senior class received more than $95.6 million in scholarship offers.
Schools
Elementary Schools – 112
Middle/Junior High Schools – 36
Senior High Schools – 35
Career & Technology Centers – 6
Charter Schools – 9
Alternative Programs – 8
Special Education Centers – 3
Total 209 schools
32 schools are Optional Schools or offer Optional Programs that offer parents choices in selecting a public education that can best fit their children’s talents and abilities.
For two consecutive years, a Memphis City School was selected as a National No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School. Delano Elementary received the honor for 2005-06, and Keystone Elementary received that designation in 2004-05.
All Memphis City Schools classrooms are Internet-wired to handle at least six computers.
All Memphis City Schools (except for Charter Schools) are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
There are more than 100 Pre-Kindergarten classes offered through the Memphis City Schools to give four-year-olds strong educational and social foundations for success in school and in life.
Teachers
Memphis City Schools employs more than 6,000 full-time teachers in grades K-12.
Memphis City Schools has more National Board Certified Teachers than any other school district in the State of Tennessee. These are teachers who have earned the highest certification standard a teacher can attain.
Memphis City Schools has a number of teachers who have been recognized nationally for their effective teaching, including Rhonda Borden of A.B. Hill Elementary who received a 2006 National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation; Angel Perkins, a Science teacher at White Station High School who was selected to be a member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Training Corps out of more than 1800 applicants based on a submission of a classroom teaching strategy and the data proving its results, and Snowden teacher Myra Govea de Arce, who was chosen by a U.S Department of Education panel as an American Star of Teaching in 2006. She was one of only 51 recipients of the prestigious honor and was chosen from more than 4,000 nominees across the nation for their success in improving academic performance and making a difference in students' lives using the principles of No Child Left Behind.
Teachers in the Memphis City Schools are given many opportunities for professional development designed to improve and enhance their teaching skills. In addition to professional development through the school district’s state-of-the-art Teaching & Learning Academy, teachers avail themselves to outstanding fellowship programs at the University of Memphis and other institutions that partner with Memphis City Schools to better prepare teachers for success in the urban classroom.
