Downtown Elementary

Summary:

Downtown Elementary is a public elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 718 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, which is ranked 134 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Downtown Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Tennessee elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 13.6% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 20% for the district and 39.7% for the state. In English Language Arts, 21.5% of students were proficient or better, compared to 22.4% for the district and 37.6% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for female students, male students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the bottom 20-25% of Tennessee elementary schools.

While Downtown Elementary has relatively high per-student spending and a low student-teacher ratio, the nearby schools, such as KIPP Memphis Collegiate Elementary, Bruce Elementary, and Ida B. Wells Academy Elementary School/Middle School, also perform poorly on state assessments, suggesting that Downtown Elementary may face unique challenges. Addressing the needs of the school's student population and leveraging available resources may be key to driving improvements and better supporting the educational outcomes of its students.


Detail:

Public, Magnet PK, KG-5

 10 N 4th St
       Memphis, TN  38103-2712


(901) 416-8400

District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
947th of 1,018 Tennessee Elementary Schools


Students who attend Downtown Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Humes Preparatory Academy Middle School
High:    Manassas High

Student/teacher ratio:  18.8 Help
Number of students:  718

Racial breakdown:

African American:
90.9%
Two or more races:
3.8%
White:
2.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  79.3% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Downtown Elementary ranks worse than 93% of elementary schools in Tennessee. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.44. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Finance
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Downtown Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Downtown Elementary 947th of 1018 Tennessee public elementary schools. (See Downtown Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:


Memphis-Shelby County Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Memphis-Shelby County Schools 135th of 140 Tennessee school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Downtown Elementary.

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Rank History for Downtown Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Downtown Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 43.58 371st 646 42.6%
2018 55.80 377th 997 62.2%
2019 48.39 457th 985 53.6%
2021 11.70 887th 983 9.8%
2022 15.88 867th 1000 13.3%
2023 19.94 825th 1020 19.1%
2024 10.44 947th 1018 7.0%
See the entire list of Tennessee Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Downtown Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.87 152nd 877 82.7%
2019 72.64 107th 821 87.0%
2021 14.78 780th 823 5.2%
2022 25.89 688th 858 19.8%
2023 28.41 666th 865 23.0%
2024 16.53 792nd 853 7.2%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Downtown Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 54.54 375th 926 59.5%
2021 14.73 821st 945 13.1%
2022 15.18 860th 975 11.8%
2023 20.56 803rd 989 18.8%
2024 9.80 936th 990 5.5%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Downtown Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 41.09 536th 916 41.5%
2021 8.58 908th 941 3.5%
2022 20.22 804th 980 18.0%
2023 23.71 771st 987 21.9%
2024 12.76 912th 991 8.0%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Downtown Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools TN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 76.12 64th 450 85.8%
2019 70.27 82nd 404 79.7%
2021 24.36 315th 411 23.4%
2022 29.70 330th 483 31.7%
2023 34.98 298th 500 40.4%
2024 21.15 418th 498 16.1%
See the entire list of Best Tennessee Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Tennessee Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Downtown Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Tennessee Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Open Quote CONGRATULATIONS and well done!!! Downtown Elementary, on your recent scorecard 4.63 over 5. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Open Quote Amazing facilities and good classes Close Quote



Enrollment information for Downtown Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2014 27 541 12 14 0 0 5 0 599
2015 43 504 13 14 0 0 16 0 590
2016 21 523 4 5 0 0 13 0 566
2017 14 630 9 9 1 0 16 0 679
2018 25 595 8 13 2 0 12 0 655
2019 27 602 3 10 2 0 21 0 665
2020 22 658 8 11 1 0 22 0 722
2021 25 641 8 17 0 0 46 0 737
2022 14 629 3 12 1 1 39 0 699
2023 16 653 6 13 2 1 27 0 718

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Downtown Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2014 599 37.9 15.8 84.6
2015 590 36.0 16.3 69.3
2016 566 38.0 14.8 79.3
2017 679 36.7 18.5 n/a
2018 655 41.9 15.6 n/a
2019 665 41.9 15.8 n/a
2020 722 44.1 16.3 n/a
2021 737 43.5 16.9 n/a
2022 699 45.0 15.5 n/a
2023 718 38.0 18.8 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Downtown Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2014 599 37.9 15.8 84.6
2015 590 36.0 16.3 69.3
2016 566 38.0 14.8 79.3
2017 679 36.7 18.5 n/a
2018 655 41.9 15.6 n/a
2019 665 41.9 15.8 n/a
2020 722 44.1 16.3 n/a
2021 737 43.5 16.9 n/a
2022 699 45.0 15.5 n/a
2023 718 38.0 18.8 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Downtown Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $790 (6.5%) $10,384 (85.2%) $12,194
2020 $747 (6.8%) $9,405 (85.5%) $10,998
2021 $1,421 (13.1%) $8,819 (81.3%) $10,844
2022 $2,726 (20.4%) $9,802 (73.5%) $13,341
2023 $2,543 (18.7%) $10,183 (74.7%) $13,635

Data source: Tennessee Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Downtown Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 457th of 985 Elementary schoolsRanks 825th of 1020 Elementary schools
 34.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Downtown Elementary)38.230.7
 7.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)33.323.1
 10.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)43.840.5
 3.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Downtown Elementary)29.435.4
 6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)22.824
 1.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)36.940.5
 3.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Downtown Elementary)43.714.5
 29.2%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)34.723
 11.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)4643.6
 2.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Downtown Elementary)26.922.9
 4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)24.227.2
 3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)34.343.5
 9.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Downtown Elementary)55.87.1
 48.7%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)32.617.3
 15.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Tennessee)46.241.3
 4.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Downtown Elementary)34.715.2
 19.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)23.119.5
 3.6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)35.237
 1.8%
All Grades Mathematics (Downtown Elementary)45.717.8
 27.9%
   All Grades Mathematics (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)27.217
 10.2%
   All Grades Mathematics (Tennessee)40.838.1
 2.7%
All Grades English Language Arts (Downtown Elementary)30.224.7
 5.5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Memphis-Shelby County Schools)20.620.7
 0.1%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Tennessee)33.736.6
 2.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students665718
 8%
African American602653
 8.5%
American Indian22
Asian36
 100%
Hispanic1013
 30%
Pacific Islander01
White2716
 40.7%
Two or More Races2127
 28.6%


Schools Near Downtown Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Downtown Elementary

Students at Downtown Elementary are 91% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% White, 2% Hispanic.

Downtown Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.0% of Tennessee elementary schools.

Students who attend Downtown Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Humes Preparatory Academy Middle School
High : Manassas High

In the 2022-23 school year, 718 students attended Downtown Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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