The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Balmoral/ridgeway Elementary
Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. The school is a neighborhood elementary that sits within the Memphis city limits.
The student body is predominantly composed of students who identify as Black, with a smaller share of students who identify as Hispanic and an even smaller share who identify as White. The school is on the smaller side for the elementary grade band.
On the most recent state assessments, students posted proficiency rates that, when averaged across tested subjects, landed below the midpoint when compared with other schools across districts in Shelby County. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above. In math, the corresponding rate was lower. In science, the share of students reaching proficiency was also lower than the rate seen in English language arts. A social studies assessment from several years ago, before changes to the test and its cut scores, showed a smaller share of students scoring proficient. The school tested a substantial number of students and participation was full. A parent interested in the specific trajectory of performance across more years may want to speak with the school about how these results compare to prior years, since single-year data does not show a trend.
The school does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common proxy for economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was also not available in the state reporting. The demographics available suggest a diverse student body by race, but without information on economic or special-education status, a family may want to ask the school directly about the resources and supports it provides for students with varied learning needs.
Housing in the area served by the school sits near the middle to upper part of the range when compared with national benchmarks, though prices in the immediate zip code have seen a modest decline in the most recent year. Rents in the same area have moved up slightly. The national unemployment rate remains low, and household incomes nationally have risen in recent years.
Memphis itself offers a dense civic and cultural landscape. The Mississippi River, Tom Lee Park, Shelby Farms Park, and Overton Park provide substantial outdoor space. Cultural institutions such as the National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio, and the Stax Museum anchor the city's identity. The Memphis Grizzlies play at FedExForum. The Memphis Area Transit Authority runs the city's public bus system.
No recent information about school-level closures, program changes, or district-level budget or tax referendums specific to this building was available in the research conducted. The district has publicly discussed plans in recent years related to facility usage and academic strategy, but how those broad conversations affect this particular elementary school is not clear from the data at hand.
For a family evaluating this school, the picture is one of a small neighborhood elementary with proficiency rates that trail many other schools in the county. The school's strongest subject is English language arts, where roughly half of students meet the state’s proficient standard. The school is part of a large urban district with many options, so a parent may want to confirm how this school’s academic programs and support structures compare with those of other elementary schools in the same feeder pattern.
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