The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Memphis Business Academy Hickory Hill Elementary School
Memphis Business Academy Hickory Hill Elementary School is a public charter school in Memphis serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates within the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, the large unified district covering the city and surrounding county. The school sits in the Hickory Hill neighborhood, a residential area in southeast Memphis. Enrollment is small for an elementary school, with a student body that is predominantly Black and includes a sizable Hispanic minority and a very small number of white students and students of other races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners are not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its support programs and family economic profile.
On the Tennessee state assessments, the school’s proficiency rates were below the midpoint among elementary schools in Shelby County. In math, about two in five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, roughly one in three met that bar. In science, the rate was about three in ten. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quarter of districts countywide. Because the school serves only early and elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data to report. The testing cohort was small, so year-to-year swings may be larger than at bigger schools.
As a charter school, Memphis Business Academy Hickory Hill Elementary operates independently within the district, with its own governance and instructional approach. The school’s name suggests a thematic orientation toward business or entrepreneurship, but the provided data do not include any specific program descriptions, course offerings, or enrichment activities, so a parent interested in that focus should verify directly with the school. No information is available on staffing ratios, class sizes, or disciplinary patterns, which are common gaps for smaller charter schools in this data set.
Housing in the zip code area around the school is moderately priced relative to the state and nation. Home values have been roughly stable with a slight recent dip, and rents are comparable to what a household earning around the median national income might afford. The broader Memphis area offers extensive public amenities, including large urban parks, the Mississippi riverfront, the Memphis Zoo, and cultural institutions such as the National Civil Rights Museum and Graceland. Public transit is provided by the Memphis Area Transit Authority, but the school’s location in southeast Memphis is a suburban-style area that likely makes a car the primary means of access for most families.
The district itself has been publicly reported to be undergoing a long-range facilities planning process called Reimagining 901, which has involved school closures and boundary adjustments in recent years. No specific outcomes affecting this school appear in the available data, so a family should check with the district for any upcoming changes to the school’s status, feeder patterns, or building.
Memphis Business Academy Hickory Hill Elementary serves a relatively small, diverse student body in a charter setting. Its academic results are on the lower end among Shelby County elementary schools, which is a pattern a parent may want to explore further by visiting the school, reviewing its curriculum, and discussing intervention strategies with staff. The school fits a family seeking a smaller, independently run elementary option within the Memphis public charter landscape, particularly one located in the Hickory Hill area.
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