The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in Science. The lowest is 13% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Keystone Elementary
Keystone Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade and is part of Memphis-Shelby County Schools in Memphis, Tennessee. The school’s enrollment is small for the grade band it covers, and the student body is predominantly Black. A modest share of students identify as Hispanic, and much smaller shares identify as white or as two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, and information on students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was also absent from the data provided.
The school’s academic performance, as measured by Tennessee’s state assessments, is low. In math, about a fifth of students scored at the proficient level. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient was lower. Science proficiency was slightly higher than math, with about a quarter of students reaching proficiency. Social studies data is from a prior year and is not comparable to current results due to changes in the test and cut scores. When compared across all tested subjects, Keystone Elementary’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Shelby County. This comparison is based on county boundaries, not on individual schools within the same district, but it gives a broad sense of how the school’s results stack up locally. The proficiency rates across math, English, and science are all well below the county median, a gap a parent would want to look into further with the school.
Because Keystone Elementary serves only elementary grades, it has no graduation rate to report. Attendance and chronic absenteeism data were also not available. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its Title I status was not provided.
The school is located in Memphis, a city shaped by the Mississippi River and major cultural institutions. The National Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music are within the city. Public transit is provided by the Memphis Area Transit Authority. Nearby parks include Tom Lee Park downtown, which underwent a major renovation recently, Shelby Farms Park in East Memphis, and Overton Park in midtown, which houses the Memphis Zoo. FedExForum downtown is home to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Housing values in the zip code area around Keystone Elementary are lower than the state average for Tennessee and lower than the national benchmark. Rents in the area are also below the national average. The local housing market has seen a slight decline in values recently, while rents have held steady. The economic context shows a national unemployment rate that has been stable, and median household income nationally has risen modestly in recent years.
A parent considering this school would find a small elementary school with a racially concentrated student body and academic results that are low relative to other schools in the county. The school does not appear to offer any special academic programs or pathways; no information about program offerings was available in the data. Given the performance levels, a family focused on strong academic outcomes would want to understand what supports and interventions are in place. The surrounding Memphis community offers extensive cultural and recreational resources, and the housing in the immediate area is relatively affordable compared to state and national averages.
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