A Major, Urban School District on the
Cutting Edge of Closing the Achievement Gap
Our Mission
Memphis-Shelby County Schools is one of the 25 largest school districts in the nation located in a large city with a hometown feel, Memphis, TN. Here in the Bluff City, we are dedicated to preparing all students for success in learning, leadership, and life.
• Our promise is that by 2025, 80% of our students will be college & career ready, 90% will graduate high school, and 100% of graduates will enroll in post-secondary education.
• Our work is deeply rooted in the belief that every child is capable of learning and that education is the great equalizer. With 84% of all students considered economically disadvantaged, Memphis-Shelby County Schools truly is a place where progressive leaders in education can make a difference in the lives of our country’s most underserved children.
Our Future
Though our challenges are significant, we are a district on the rise.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools has been a level 5 growth district—the highest achievable level in TN--for the past three years.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools has seen district-wide math proficiency scores double in the past three years.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools I-Zone schools were once performing in the bottom 5% of TN, and are now making significant gains towards the goal of performing amongst the top 25% within five years.
We are a district committed to progressive strategies and practices that promote student achievement. We do this by ensuring that every classroom has an effective teacher and every school is operated by staff and leaders committed to excellence.
At the University of Memphis, we are Driven by Doing. Driven by Doing isn't just a slogan. It's what you'll see happening all around you at the UofM. Every. Single. Day. We've had a lot of firsts here in Memphis. But our most memorable years are yet to come. We are all about forward progress. Yours. That's what Memphis does.
For over 100 years, the UofM has been a catalyst for progress in the city of Memphis, the state of Tennessee and the surrounding Mid-South region. From its inception in 1912 as a “normal school” dedicated to the education of public school teachers to its role today as an educator of technologically savvy, socially conscious graduates who face a complex world, the UofM has always been an integral component of the greater community.
Exceptional students from 50 states and 82 countries choose the University of Memphis as their collegiate home. Approximately 22,000 students attend the UofM, including more than 2,200 first-time freshmen and 2,500 students who live in university housing.
In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Memphis among the top 10 in the country for student internship placements and lauded it as one of the top 13 for its teacher preparation programs. Additionally, its graduate programs in audiology, speech-language pathology and rehabilitation counseling are consistently ranked among the top 20 in the nation by U.S. News.
As a doctoral-granting metropolitan research university, the UofM is committed to excellence in undergraduate, graduate and professional education; in the discovery and dissemination of knowledge; in engaged scholarship to the community, state and nation; and in the preparation of a diverse student population for successful careers and meaningful participation in a global society.
Ever forward looking, the University of Memphis is poised to enter one of its most historic and productive periods. Having just celebrated its centennial anniversary, its faculty, staff, alumn...
Rhodes aspires to graduate students with a lifelong passion for learning, a compassion for others, and the ability to translate rigorous academic study and personal concern into effective leadership and action in their communities and the world.
Students graduate intellectually read to tackle the world’s most pressing problems, leadership ready to create equitable and prosperous communities, and career and graduate school ready to succeed in tomorrow’s economy.