Elementary school (grades K-5) · Memphis, TN

Memphis Stem Academy

Federal NCES profile for Memphis Stem Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 470014802459Charter school
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
31
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Memphis Stem Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Tennessee schools.

#29 of 33
elementary schools in Memphis · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
17.3:1
large classes for Tennessee
276
students enrolled

Memphis Stem Academy has class sizes larger than 80% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Memphis Stem Academy ranks #29 of 33 elementary schools in Memphis, TN.

Enrollment

276

Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

16.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.3:1

vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg

+13% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Memphis Stem Academy compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Memphis Stem Academy

Memphis Stem Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 276 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Tennessee schools by student-teacher ratio.

Enrollment of 276 puts it in the smaller third of Tennessee schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,838 Tennessee schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Its student body is predominantly African American (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.0% 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): Memphis Stem Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 16.3:1).

Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Memphis Stem Academy.

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 Memphis Stem Academy compares

Memphis Stem Academy on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Tennessee Tennessee avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.3:1 ▲ 13% 15.3:1 15.7:1
Enrollment 276 top 81% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher - 13% above state mean
Top 80% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.0%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 83.0%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
Two or More 0.4%

Largest group: African American at 83.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 28.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 28.3, Memphis Stem Academy 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 Memphis Stem Academy.

$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 Memphis Stem Academy 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 Similar S:T ratio
Southwind High Larger No free-lunch data Higher S:T ratio
Whitehaven High Larger No free-lunch data Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Memphis Stem Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Memphis-Shelby County Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Memphis

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Memphis Stem Academy's federal record.

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 Memphis Stem Academy

How many students attend Memphis Stem Academy?

Memphis Stem Academy has 276 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Memphis, TN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Memphis Stem Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Memphis Stem Academy is 17.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Memphis Stem Academy?

The largest demographic group at Memphis Stem Academy is African American at 83.0% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Memphis Stem Academy?

Memphis Stem Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Memphis Stem Academy rank among elementary schools in Memphis?

By Resource Investment Index, Memphis Stem Academy ranks #29 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 Memphis Stem Academy a good school?

Memphis Stem Academy earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% 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 Memphis Stem Academy, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved

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.