The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Social studies. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Cordova Middle
Cordova Middle is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, the large countywide system that covers much of the greater Memphis area. It sits in Cordova, a largely suburban part of Shelby County that grew rapidly from a farm hamlet into a residential and retail hub, anchored by the Wolfchase Galleria and major commercial corridors along Germantown Parkway and Macon Road. The area remains car-dependent, with schools and civic amenities spread across separate campuses; the historic Old Cordova area holds a small downtown core that hosts community events like an annual crafts fair and a Fourth of July parade. In recent years, publicly reported efforts to seek de-annexation from Memphis have surfaced, reflecting ongoing debates about local governance in this growing part of the county.
The school itself enrolls a sizable student body for a middle school. Its racial and ethnic composition is diverse but heavily concentrated: the largest group by a wide margin is Black students, followed by a substantial share of Hispanic students, a modest share of white students, a noticeable group of students identifying as two or more races, and a small Asian population. Data on the proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not reported, nor was information on students with disabilities or English learners, so a family looking for that context would need to ask the school or district directly.
On state academic assessments, the picture is a difficult one. Proficiency rates across all tested subjects – math, English language arts, science, and social studies – land at levels that put the school in the bottom quartile among the districts in Shelby County when measured by an overall proficiency index. In each subject, roughly a fifth to just over a quarter of students scored at the levels that the state defines as proficient or above. These are low rates by any common standard, and a parent reviewing this data will want to understand what academic supports and interventions the school offers. The comparison set, which covers all districts across Shelby County, confirms that this school sits well behind the midpoint of its peers; the median district in that countywide group shows a proficiency index many times higher. Participation rates on the tests were very high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students, not a selective sample.
Because Cordova Middle serves only middle-school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism was not available in the information provided. The school’s program offerings were not detailed, so it is unclear what electives, advanced coursework, or extracurricular opportunities exist beyond the standard curriculum. Families who value a clear view of course access, staffing ratios, and discipline climate will need to seek that directly from the school or district. The district itself – Memphis-Shelby County Schools – has been in the news for publicly reported plans around school closures under a “Reimagining 901” initiative and for a property tax referendum, both of which bear on the broader context in which Cordova Middle operates.
For a family considering this school, the core question is academic. The student body is diverse and the school is part of a large, resource-intensive district that has been reorganizing its footprint. But the state assessment results are consistently low, and without more information about what the school is doing to address that – through targeted instruction, tutoring, or enrichment – the data alone gives a parent genuine reason to probe further. The school’s location in a growing suburban area with active civic life and retail amenities may appeal to families who value that setting, but the academic profile is the dominant feature of this particular middle school.
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