Memphis Juniorsenior High School, Memphis MI

Original Research by School Decision on Memphis Juniorsenior High School

Memphis Junior/Senior High School sits in a small residential city that straddles Macomb and St. Clair counties along highway M-19, halfway between Metro Detroit and Michigan's Thumb region. The town grew from agricultural roots and later saw some lumbering activity, and it retains a quiet, small-town character with local businesses along Main Street. The Belle River passes along its northern and eastern edges. Memphis has seen modest population decline over recent decades, though a recent estimate hints at slight recovery. No major housing developments or civic growth initiatives surfaced in publicly available sources, and no major employers were identified. The city points to parks and local amenities but does not name specific ones, and no public library or transit system was found.

The school serves grades six through twelve as a regular public school in the Memphis Community Schools district. Its enrollment is modest for a combined junior/senior high, and its student body is nearly entirely white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The district searched turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as referenda, curriculum shifts, or tax measures, so there is little to report on that front. Data on special populations, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, was not available, which limits the picture of student support.

On state assessments, the school's results tell a mixed story. English language arts is the brighter thread. Sixth-grade proficiency sits near the middle of the range one might expect, seventh dips lower, and eighth grade stands out as a clear strength, with a strong share of students reaching proficiency. That eighth-grade ELA result is the school's most competitive number. Math tells a different story, with proficiency declining across the middle grades and settling at the lower end by eighth grade. Science proficiency lands around the midpoint, while social studies is the weakest tested subject, with fewer than a third of eighth graders proficient. A parent weighing this school might want to look into how math instruction is sequenced across the transition years and what supports exist for students who arrive behind grade level.

Positioned relative to districts in Macomb County, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands above the midpoint among the county's districts. That placement is solid given the county's size and diversity of districts, though it is pulled up considerably by the strong eighth-grade ELA result and dragged down by math and social studies. No graduation rate or chronic absenteeism rate was available for comparison, so those dimensions could not be placed against peer districts.

The housing market in the school's zip code sits above the statewide benchmark but below the national one, and recent appreciation has been brisk relative to both. With mortgage rates in the mid-six-percent range, the estimated monthly carrying cost is meaningful relative to the area's median household income, though the price-to-income ratio remains close to a level many families would consider manageable. No rental data was available for this area, so renters would need to look elsewhere for guidance.

What this school offers is a small, close-knit environment in a quiet rural town with a single combined secondary building serving the whole community. The academic program shows genuine strength in English language arts, particularly by eighth grade, and holds its own in science. Math and social studies are softer areas where a family might reasonably ask more questions. The absence of staffing, course access, discipline, attendance, and special-population data leaves real gaps in understanding what student support looks like day to day. For a family drawn to small-town life within commuting distance of Metro Detroit, this is a school where the test results suggest a solid if uneven academic foundation, and where the missing information is worth requesting directly.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 64 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolMemphis Community Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income56%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income48%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income64%Higher-income71%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income46%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income40%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income29%2 pp gap