The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in Math. The lowest is 16% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Hickory Ridge Elementary
Hickory Ridge Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district. As a regular public school in a large urban district, it offers a full elementary sequence. Enrollment is sizable for an elementary school, with a student body that is overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding Hickory Hill neighborhood. Very few white students attend, and the school reports no Asian, Native American, or Pacific Islander enrollment. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as special education and English learner counts, was not available in the data. A parent considering the school would want to ask the district or school directly about those support services, since they are important context for any elementary program.
State testing results, from the TNReady assessments administered in the 2024–25 school year, show that proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science are low. In math, about a third of students scored at a proficient or advanced level. In ELA, about a quarter reached that threshold. In science, the rate was just under a third. Participation rates were high, so the results reflect nearly the entire tested population. Social studies data from 2017–18, which is older and subject to a test and cut-score change, shows an even lower proficiency rate, but that figure is not directly comparable to current assessments and should be taken with caution. When measured against other districts in Shelby County, Hickory Ridge Elementary’s overall proficiency across subjects falls in the bottom quartile of the comparison set. This is a significant soft spot. A parent exploring options may want to investigate what academic interventions or supports the school provides, and how the school’s curriculum aligns with state standards, to understand what is being done to address these outcomes.
No graduation rate exists because the school does not serve high school grades. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access was provided. The absence of these operational metrics makes it harder to evaluate the day-to-day learning environment, though for an elementary school in a large district, these are areas a parent can typically discuss with the principal or through school visits.
Hickory Ridge Elementary is not a charter or magnet school. It did not have Title I status reported in the data. Its parent district, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, has been in the news for a Reimagining 901 plan that involved school closures and boundary adjustments in recent years, as well as a property tax referendum. However, the research queries for the district brief returned no specific results for Hickory Ridge, so it is unclear whether this school has been directly affected by those changes. A family moving into the area should check with the district about current attendance zones and any pending consolidation plans.
The school’s zip code is in the Hickory Hill area of Memphis, a suburban-style part of the city southeast of downtown. Housing in that zip code is moderately priced relative to the rest of the metro area, and rents have been easing slightly. For a family buying a home, the cost is below the Tennessee state average. The broader Memphis context includes major amenities like Tom Lee Park, which underwent a large renovation, Shelby Farms Park, Overton Park with the Memphis Zoo, Beale Street, and cultural landmarks such as the National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, and the Stax Museum. The Memphis Area Transit Authority provides bus service, and the Mississippi River is a defining feature. These are assets for any resident, but they do not directly change the academic profile of the elementary school itself.
Hickory Ridge Elementary is a large, diverse neighborhood school where state test scores are considerably below the Shelby County district median. A family considering it will want to understand the school’s academic support systems, ask about special education and English learner services, and confirm current district-level changes. The school’s setting is a stable, middle-income residential area of Memphis, with the city’s full cultural and recreational amenities nearby.
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