Memphis-Shelby County Schools

District-Level NCES Analysis

Memphis-Shelby County Schools operates 207 public schools serving 109,797 students, placing it among the larger districts in Tennessee. The school portfolio breaks down into 105 other, 35 high, 35 elementary, 32 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 110,107 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Shelby County County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,292 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 34.5% local, 37.0% state, and 28.5% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $71,074 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 33/100, ranked #83 of 140 in Tennessee against a state average of 38 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

Academic infrastructure includes 36 of 207 schools offering Advanced Placement (249 AP courses district-wide), a 358.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 29.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.3% African American, 18.9% Hispanic or Latino, 3.8% White across the district's schools.