The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Math. The lowest is 35% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Memphis Elementary School
Memphis Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small city of Memphis, Michigan, part of the Memphis Community Schools district. The school sits on Bordman Road in a community that straddles the Macomb and St. Clair county line along highway M-19, midway between Metro Detroit and the Thumb region. The town has a quiet residential character with a modest strip of local businesses along Main Street. Its roots are in agriculture and lumbering, and the city's motto calls it "A Pleasant Place to Live." The Belle River passes along the northern and eastern edges of town. Publicly reported sources note the city has experienced modest population decline over recent decades, with a slight recovery suggested in a recent estimate. No major new housing developments or growth initiatives surfaced in the available research.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary serving six grade levels, with class sizes at each grade hovering around fifty to sixty students. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of students identifying as Hispanic, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and two or more races. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a middle band of economic need for the region. The data we received did not include counts for students with individualized education programs or English learners, so those population details are unavailable here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the most recent school year, Memphis Elementary produced results that sit in the top quartile among districts in St. Clair County when proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades are averaged. That comparison set, drawn from county membership, positions the school well above the county median. The strongest showing came in fourth-grade math, where a clear majority of tested students reached proficiency. Fourth-grade and fifth-grade English language arts results were also solid, with the fifth-grade ELA rate the highest among the school's reported scores. Third-grade results in both math and ELA were lower, with fewer than half of third graders reaching proficiency in ELA. Fifth-grade science and social studies were the softest spots, with science proficiency below half and social studies lower still. A parent looking at the early-grade results and the fifth-grade content scores may want to ask the school how it supports students in those transition and content-heavy years.
Because this is an elementary school, certain metrics do not apply. There is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not serve the grade bands where graduation or college-readiness measures would be calculated. Chronic absenteeism and attendance figures were not available in the data provided, nor were staffing ratios, discipline data, or course-access details. The absence of these fields means the picture here is built mainly from assessment results, enrollment, demographics, and the surrounding community.
The housing market in the school's zip code is more affordable than the national benchmark but above the Michigan state benchmark, with the typical home value recently showing year-over-year growth that outpaced both the state and national rates. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home, assuming a conventional down payment, reflects the current interest-rate environment. No rental data was available for this area. St. Clair County's broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate that has held steady, and median household income figures that have risen modestly over time.
Memphis itself is a small town, with M-19 functioning as its Main Street and connecting it north to Emmett and south to Richmond. The built environment is rural rather than walkable urban, and no transit system or public library was identified in the available research. The city references parks but does not name them, and no major employers were surfaced. The school district operates this elementary building and a separate junior-senior high school, with athletic teams known as the Yellowjackets. We looked for recent district-level changes such as referenda, curriculum shifts, or tax measures that would matter to families, but the research did not turn up any that carry lasting impact.
For a family considering this school, the academic signal is generally positive relative to its county peers, with particular strength in the middle elementary grades. The community is small, quiet, and affordable compared with national housing costs, though somewhat higher-priced than the Michigan state average. The gaps in the available data, especially around special populations and school climate measures, are worth asking about directly when visiting or calling the school.
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