Enrollment
99
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Memphis, TN
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms
Federal NCES profile for Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470014800861
👥 S:T ratio 77
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #5 of 33
- elementary schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.8:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 99
- students enrolled
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms has class sizes smaller than 97% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms ranks #5 of 33 elementary schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470014800861 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.8:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is a small elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 99 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.8:1, Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is leaner than roughly 97% of Tennessee schools and 62% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Tennessee schools, with 99 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 50 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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 elementary schools, it stands alongside Power Center Academy Elementary School (703 students): Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (5.8:1 vs 16.3:1).
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms.
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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms compares
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.8:1 | ▼ 62% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 99 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.8:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
99
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
5.8:1
students per teacher
- 62% below state mean
Top 3% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.6%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 50 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 96.0%
Two or More 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 96.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.7, Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms.
$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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Germantown High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwind High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Whitehaven High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms'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 (~99 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms's federal record.
- Compare Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms 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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms
How many students attend Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms?
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms has 99 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is 5.8:1, which is 62% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 63% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms?
The largest demographic group at Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms is African American at 96.0% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms?
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms rank among elementary schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms ranks #5 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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms a good school?
Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Ida B. Wells Academy Es/Ms, 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.