Enrollment
321
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Memphis, TN
Beacon College Preparatory
Federal NCES profile for Beacon College Preparatory, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470014802635Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Beacon College Preparatory earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 33
- elementary schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 321
- students enrolled
Beacon College Preparatory has class sizes larger than 84% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Beacon College Preparatory ranks #2 of 33 elementary schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470014802635 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Beacon College Preparatory compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Beacon College Preparatory
Beacon College Preparatory is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 321 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 321 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 161 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Memphis-Shelby County Schools spends $13,650 per pupil, 26% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Memphis's elementary schools, it stands alongside Power Center Academy Elementary School (703 students): Beacon College Preparatory is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.8:1 vs 16.3:1).
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Beacon College Preparatory.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Beacon College Preparatory compares
Beacon College Preparatory on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 84% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
2.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$13,650
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 161 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 57.6%
Hispanic or Latino 36.4%
White 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 57.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Beacon College Preparatory is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Beacon College Preparatory.
$13,650
Per student
+26%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 37.0%
Federal 28.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Beacon College Preparatory Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Station High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Germantown High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southwind High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitehaven High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Beacon College Preparatory's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,251
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,719
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,675
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Memphis
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Power Center Academy Elementary School
Standard public school
703 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Idlewild Elementary
Standard public school
593 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Brownsville Road Elementary
Standard public school
550 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Believe Memphis Academy Charter School
Standard public school
467 students 27.5:1 students per teacher
Leadership Preparatory Charter School
Standard public school
462 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
J. P. Freeman Elementary/Middle
Standard public school
432 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~321 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Beacon College Preparatory's federal record.
- Compare Beacon College Preparatory against another school. Compare schools
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Beacon College Preparatory
How many students attend Beacon College Preparatory?
Beacon College Preparatory has 321 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Beacon College Preparatory?
The student-teacher ratio at Beacon College Preparatory is 17.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Beacon College Preparatory?
The largest demographic group at Beacon College Preparatory is African American at 57.6% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Beacon College Preparatory?
Beacon College Preparatory has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Beacon College Preparatory rank among elementary schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Beacon College Preparatory ranks #2 of 33 elementary schools in Memphis, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Memphis on the city page.
Is Beacon College Preparatory a good school?
Beacon College Preparatory earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Tennessee schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Memphis-Shelby County Schools?
Besides Beacon College Preparatory, Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students), White Station High (2,046 students), and Germantown High (1,719 students). See the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.