How strong are the public middle schools in Memphis?
With a fresh school year around the corner, we analyzed newly released data from Niche.com, which incorporates comprehensive report cards, rankings and reviews to help you choose the right school, to identify those schools that made the biggest strides last year, as well as those that top the city's best public middle school rankings.
Geeter Middle School's overall rating improved the most among its peers in Memphis, rising from a D+ to a C-, according to data from Niche.
For the 2019-2020 school year, the school, located at 4649 Horn Lake Road, enrolls 339 students. Niche graded the school a C- for academics (on an A-D scale).
The overall ranking comes from Niche's proprietary algorithms. A school's ranking might change due to many factors, including the relative rankings of similar schools and whether a school gained or lost peers due to openings or closings. Other numbers come from current public data from the U.S. government.
Academically, 6% of Geeter Middle School's students scored as proficient or above in math, and 8% did so in reading. That's compared to city averages of 17% in math and 19% in reading. The school's improved rating is notable since it serves a less affluent population, with 77% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, 13% more than the city average.
It's not the only school that's climbed Niche's rankings this year. Hamilton Middle School also saw its overall rating increase from a D+ to a C-. The school is located at 1478 Wilson St. and currently serves 268 students.
Niche graded Hamilton Middle School a C- for academics on an A-D scale. Hamilton Middle School's latest math proficiency was at 9%, and reading proficiency was 6%.
While some public middle schools are headed in the right direction, others are consistently top-rated overall, including:
- Maxine Smith Steam Academy, with an overall rating of A-.
- White Station Middle School, with a B+ rating overall.
- Bellevue Middle School, rated C+ overall.
This story was created automatically using data from Niche.com, then reviewed by an editor before publication. Click here for more about how and why Hoodline is automating local news. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.
