Enrollment
204
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Memphis, TN
Lester Prep
Federal NCES profile for Lester Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 470015702370Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lester Prep earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Tennessee schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #2 of 35
- middle schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Tennessee
- 204
- students enrolled
Lester Prep has class sizes smaller than 93% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Prep ranks #2 of 35 middle schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Tennessee Public Charter School Commission · Tennessee
NCES ID 470015702370 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lester Prep compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lester Prep
Lester Prep is a small charter middle school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 204 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Lester Prep is leaner than roughly 93% of Tennessee schools and 37% under the state's 15.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 204 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
The surrounding Tennessee Public Charter School Commission spends $13,069 per pupil, 21% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Memphis's middle schools, it stands alongside White Station Middle (1,127 students): Lester Prep is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 16.1:1).
Tennessee Public Charter School Commission also operates Nashville Collegiate Prep (837 students) and Cornerstone Prep Denver Campus (657 students) alongside Lester Prep.
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 Lester Prep compares
Lester Prep on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 37% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 204 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
204
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 37% below state mean
Top 7% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,069
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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 95.6%
White 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 95.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.5, Lester Prep is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, which includes Lester Prep.
$13,069
Per student
+21%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.9%
State 92.4%
Federal 6.7%
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 Lester Prep Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Collegiate Prep | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cornerstone Prep Denver Campus | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Antioch College Prep Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Libertas | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kipp Antioch College Prep Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lester Prep's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 41.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar middle schools in Memphis
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
White Station Middle
Standard public school
1,127 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Colonial Middle
Standard public school
1,034 students 17:1 students per teacher
Kate Bond Middle School
Standard public school
1,002 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Hickory Ridge Middle
Standard public school
805 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Treadwell Middle School
Standard public school
764 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Sherwood Middle
Standard public school
743 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Similar middle 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 (~204 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lester Prep's federal record.
- Compare Lester Prep against another school. Compare schools
- Tennessee Public Charter School Commission'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 Lester Prep
How many students attend Lester Prep?
Lester Prep has 204 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lester Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Lester Prep is 9.7:1, which is 37% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 38% 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 Lester Prep?
The largest demographic group at Lester Prep is African American at 95.6% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lester Prep?
Lester Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Lester Prep rank among middle schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Prep ranks #2 of 35 middle 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 middle schools in Memphis on the city page.
Is Lester Prep a good school?
Lester Prep earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Tennessee Public Charter School Commission?
Besides Lester Prep, Tennessee Public Charter School Commission also operates Nashville Collegiate Prep (837 students), Cornerstone Prep Denver Campus (657 students), and Kipp Antioch College Prep Elementary (604 students). See the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission district page for the complete list.
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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.