Where We Stand
Mixed SourcesHere’s where we are. Here’s what we inherited. Baseline conditions for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, 2025-26 — every figure compared to the state and to our own trajectory.
About 2 in 3 third graders are not reading on grade level
Source: TDOE TCAP Assessment File, 2025-26
About 1 in 5 students are on track in math
Source: TDOE TCAP Assessment File, 2025-26
4 in 5 students graduate in four years — below the state average
Source: TDOE Graduation Cohort Data, 2024-25
Fewer than 1 in 3 graduates leave ready for college or career
Source: TDOE Ready Graduate File, 2024-25
Enrollment continues a years-long decline
Source: TDOE Profile & Membership File, 2024-25 (Oct 1 snapshot)
4 in 5 students come from economically disadvantaged households
Source: TDOE Profile & Membership File, 2024-25
Current student growth is rated at the state's highest level; recent results have varied
Source: TDOE District Wide TVAAS Composite, 2024-25
The state's own accountability system rates the district as improving
Source: TDOE Accountability File / MSCS Federal Accountability Release, 2024-25
The Pipeline: 100 Students Enter Kindergarten…
Every section of this dashboard maps to a stage in this pipeline. Each bar shows how many of 100 MSCS kindergartners reach the milestone.
Hypothetical cohort built from the most recent rate at each stage — not a single tracked class. Sources shown on hover.
Academic Outcomes — K through 12
Mixed SourcesOur kids are growing. The system isn’t giving them enough to grow into.
ELA proficiency (grades 3–8) — MSCS vs. Tennessee
Source: TDOE TCAP Assessment Files. 2019-20 canceled and 2020-21 disrupted by COVID; treat those years with caution.
TVAAS growth composite — how much students grew vs. expectation
Source: TDOE TVAAS District Composites. 2020-21 not rated (COVID). Level 5 = significantly above expected growth.
Why both charts matter — the core tension
TVAAS measures whether students learned more than predicted given where they started — and current MSCS student growth is rated at the state’s highest level, though recent results have varied. Proficiency measures whether students are on grade level — and most MSCS students are not, because the starting point is so far behind. Tennessee’s accountability formula weights proficiency heavily, so the district is penalized in state ratings even while its kids grow faster than anywhere else in the state. Our children are running faster than ever. The finish line is still too far. That’s a resource problem, not a performance problem.
Who the system serves: ELA proficiency by student group
MSCS is 93% students of color and 80%+ economically disadvantaged. State comparisons embed that composition as a disadvantage rather than an equity challenge to be funded. Hover a bar for each group’s share of enrollment.
Source: TDOE TCAP Assessment File, 2025-26 (grades 3-8 ELA). Suppressed values shown as suppressed, never estimated.
Chronic absenteeism (missing 10%+ of school days) — lower is better
Source: TDOE Chronic Absenteeism Files. COVID years labeled in tooltip; absenteeism remains far above the 2018-19 baseline.
Suspended students lose instructional time and are far more likely to enter the justice system.
The disparity between suspension share and enrollment share is the school-climate equity signal.
The explicit education-to-justice pipeline link — see the 901justice dashboard for where it leads. TDOE Discipline Data 2024-25; CRDC 2020-21 (law-enforcement referrals).
4-year graduation rate — MSCS vs. Tennessee
Source: TDOE Graduation Cohort Data (4-year cohort denominator).
Ready Graduate rate (ACT ≥21 + career/college credential)
Source: TDOE Ready Graduate Files. Graduating is not the same as graduating ready.
TDOE ACT Data, 2024-25
Board of Managers Accountability
Sample DataThe board has the power. These are the numbers they’ll be judged by — the baseline they inherit, defined before anyone can redefine it after the fact.
Baseline Scorecard — Year Zero (2024-25)
| Metric | Baseline | Source | Why the board answers for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd grade ELA proficiency | 23.8% | TDOE TCAP District File, 2025 | Primary reading accountability metric |
| Graduation rate (4-yr) | 81.3% | TDOE Cohort Data, 2025 | Completion benchmark |
| Ready Graduate rate | 28.7% | TDOE Ready Graduate, 2025 | College/career readiness |
| TVAAS composite (5-level) | Level 5 | TDOE TVAAS District, 2025 | Growth under their governance |
| Chronic absenteeism rate | 23.4% | TDOE Chronic Absenteeism, 2025 | Engagement + access signal |
| Black-White proficiency gap (ELA) | 36.3 pts | TDOE TCAP + CRDC, 2025 | Equity measure |
| Teacher retention rate | 84.1% | TDOE Teacher Retention, 2025 | Workforce stability |
| Per-pupil expenditure | $12,874 | TDOE Finance Data, 2025 | Investment accountability |
| Out-of-school suspension rate | 12.9% | TDOE Discipline Data, 2025 | School climate |
| Post-secondary enrollment rate | 47.2% | TDOE Post-Secondary, 2023 | Pipeline output |
Baseline values freeze at the Board of Managers’ Year Zero and update annually as TDOE releases new files. The accountability framing is advocacy content from Stand for Children Tennessee, clearly labeled as such — not neutral reporting.
What success looks like — defined proactively
- •Stabilize enrollment decline
- •Establish a transparent public data reporting cadence
- •Address the teacher vacancy crisis
- •Increase 3rd grade ELA proficiency by ≥3 percentage points
- •Reduce chronic absenteeism by ≥5 points
- •Close the Black-White proficiency gap by a measurable margin
- •Achieve a graduation rate at or above the state average
- •Maintain TVAAS Composite 4 or 5 (high growth)
- •Increase the Ready Graduate rate annually
Structural accountability questions the community should keep asking
- — Is the board publishing regular data reports accessible to the public?
- — Is community input being meaningfully incorporated in major decisions?
- — Are school improvement resources following the schools with greatest need?
- — Are disciplinary practices equitable across race and disability status?
- — Is the charter sector being held to the same accountability standards as zone schools?