A couple of months ago, we briefly touched on the previous school year’s TCAP scores at MSCS, which provided somewhat encouraging data regarding the progress seen since COVID-19 led to a sharp decline in recent proficiency results. Though reading proficiency increased district-wide by more than two percentage points, still only about three in ten students are reading on grade level. Additionally, math proficiency declined year-over-year by half of a percentage point, with only 22% of MSCS students achieving that mark. Meanwhile, MSCS continues to trail state averages by more than 13 percentage points.
In what may initially appear to be antithetical news, however, several public school districts in Shelby County achieved some of the highest marks in the state’s TCAP assessment this year. University Schools—which is operated by the University of Memphis—achieved the state’s highest reading proficiency, with nearly three-quarters of students reading at or above grade level. Collierville Schools was a close second at 71% proficiency, and the district also placed in the top three districts state-wide in math, science, and social studies. Germantown Municipal School District led the state in math, while also placing in the top four in reading and science. Not to be forgotten, Lakeland School System also far exceeded state averages.
We know that there are models right here in our county that lead to high student achievement, though the largest school district in the county and in the state still lags behind. Recent data from Harvard University’s Education Scorecard puts into perspective just how different districts around Shelby County and Tennessee truly are.
Between 2022 and 2025, Tennessee was one of the fastest-improving states in terms of reading and math proficiency in the country, which was certainly driven by the successes of school districts like those mentioned above. For the first time ever, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed Tennessee in the top half of states in proficiency in 2024. The state’s growth in academic achievement, accelerated by innovative school districts like Campus Schools, has mirrored a generally upward trend around the country, particularly for 9-year-olds. But even as some districts, states, and parts of the country begin to reach or even exceed pre-COVID-19 proficiency levels, a global viewpoint dampens the victory lap.
