Enrollment
784
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Memphis, TN
Downtown Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Downtown Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470014802041
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Downtown Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Tennessee schools.
- #44 of 101
- schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 784
- students enrolled
Downtown Elementary has class sizes larger than 94% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Downtown Elementary ranks #44 of 101 schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470014802041 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downtown Elementary compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Downtown Elementary
Downtown Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 784 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.6:1 is larger than about 94% of Tennessee schools and 35% above the 15.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 784 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 784 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
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 public schools, it stands alongside Snowden Elementary/Middle (1,384 students): Downtown Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.6:1 vs 16.9:1).
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Downtown Elementary.
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 Downtown Elementary compares
Downtown Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.6:1 | ▲ 35% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 784 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.6:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
784
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
20.6:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 94% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 784 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 91.3%
Two or More 3.4%
White 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 91.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.4, Downtown Elementary is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Downtown Elementary.
$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 Downtown Elementary 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 | Lower 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 Downtown Elementary'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 other schools in Memphis
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Snowden Elementary/Middle
Standard public school
1,384 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Belle Forest Community School
Standard public school
1,027 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Early Childhood Programs
Standard public school
938 students 62.5:1 students per teacher
Treadwell Elementary
Standard public school
921 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Richland Elementary
Standard public school
907 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Parkway Village Elementary
Standard public school
856 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~784 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Downtown Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Downtown Elementary 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 Downtown Elementary
How many students attend Downtown Elementary?
Downtown Elementary has 784 students enrolled. It is a public school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downtown Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Downtown Elementary is 20.6:1, which is 35% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downtown Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Downtown Elementary is African American at 91.3% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downtown Elementary?
Downtown Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Downtown Elementary rank among schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Downtown Elementary ranks #44 of 101 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 schools in Memphis on the city page.
Is Downtown Elementary a good school?
Downtown Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% 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 Downtown Elementary, 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.