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Downing HouseDowning House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+
Schools in Memphis · Scotland County R-I School District

Memphis’s public schools score below 60% of Missouri districts on tests and graduation

Math proficiency in Memphis’s districts is 33%, below the Missouri average (39%). The grade covers the public school district serving Memphis, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Missouri, not nationally.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From Missouri state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
39%
▼ 4 pts vs MO 43%
2021–22
Math proficiency
33%
▼ 6 pts vs MO 39%
2021–22
Spent per student
$15.8K
▲ 9% vs MO $14.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
9.1
MO 12.8 · smaller classes
Schools in town
2
505 students on the public path
In brief

Memphis’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 633 Missouri towns with household incomes within a quarter of Memphis’s, its schools beat 33%, lower than their 40% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 39% of tested students were proficient in reading and 33% in math, against 43% and 39% statewide; 100% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Spending, and where it came from

The district spent $15,840 per student in FY2024, against $14,569 across Missouri. 23% of its revenue that year was federal (Missouri 11%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle school

From grade 7 the district’s path is Scotland Co. High. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Memphis’s grade

C+ Test scores

C+: better than 40% of Missouri school districts. Test scores are below the Missouri average; there is no graduation rate to add.

Missouri school districts we grade (535)Better than 40%
Lower resultsHigher results
Missouri towns with similar household incomes (633)Better than 33%
CBA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 284 test results could put Memphis anywhere from C to B. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Memphis’s students in the tested grades sat them (288 in math, 281 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Memphis, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–6Scotland Co. Elem.Scotland County R-I School DistrictC+
7–12Scotland Co. HighScotland County R-I School DistrictB

Memphis’s public schools are run by Scotland County R-I School District, which also serves Arbela, Granger, Rutledge and South Gorin. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Scotland County R-I School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 2 schools · 505 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 9.1 per teacher (MO 12.8)
$15,840MO $14,569 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2021–22

Below the state in reading

Reading39%
State average 43.2% · 281 students tested
Math33%
State average 39.2% · 288 students tested
A note on the data.In FY2024, 23% of the Scotland County R-I district’s revenue came from the federal government, against 11% across Missouri, in the last year of federal pandemic relief; spending per student is reported as published.

Memphis vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Missouri towns that share Memphis’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
MemphisC+Scotland County R-I

Every school in Memphis

2 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Missouri’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Memphisby address
Scotland Co. Elem.
Elementary · Grades PK–6
C+
252 students9:1Rate it →
Scotland Co. High
High · Grades 7–12
B
253 students10:1Rate it →

Questions about Memphis’s schools

Are Memphis’s schools good?

On Missouri’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Memphis children attend score below 60% of Missouri’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 33%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Memphis in?

Scotland County R-I School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 505 students in 2 schools (2024–25).

How much does Memphis spend per student?

$15,840 in Scotland County R-I School District (FY2024), against $14,569 across Missouri. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Memphis families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Memphis → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Missouri. Stars are from neighbors.