Education
Memphis has more than a dozen institutions of higher education, including a major university (University of Memphis) and Tennessee’s leading medical school (University of Tennessee Health Science Center). Colleges in Memphis are also at the forefront of the emerging world of online education, and it’s possible to earn a degree in Memphis entirely in front of a computer terminal.
For elementary and secondary education, there are two public-school systems: Shelby County Schools and Memphis City Schools. In both the city and the county, many families base their home-buying decisions on the neighborhood’s public schools, an important consideration given how dramatically different each school can be. Word of mouth among parents is often the best source of information about the schools, particularly city public schools, which vary significantly due to parental involvement and other factors. Some families are even drawn to Southaven, Olive Branch, and other parts of DeSoto County, the fast-growing Mississippi county just south of Memphis.
1. Holy Rosary Elementary School
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Telephone: (901) 685-1231
Address: 4841 Park Avenue
Description: Holy Rosary is a Catholic school under the auspices of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis. It’s a coed school founded in 1954, along with the founding of Holy Rosary Parish, and offers classes in kindergarten through the eighth grade. The school has a reputation as being academically rigorous—and very Catholic. That’s reflected in daily Bible studies, weekly Mass, and a faculty that is 85 percent Roman Catholic. It is one of the largest parochial grade schools in the diocese. The East Memphis campus includes 29 classrooms, a library, a media center, a computer lab, a science lab, a music room, a gym, and athletic fields. The teacher-pupil ratio is 1 to 14, and virtually all graduating eighth graders are accepted into the high school of their choice.
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 740 Harbor Bend Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 5900 Walnut Grove Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 1100 Cherry Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 1740 Ridgeway Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 1381 West Massey Street
7. Memphis Jewish High School
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Telephone: (901) 767-4818
Address: 1203 Ridgeway Road
Description: Memphis Jewish High School (MJHS) is a coed, modern Orthodox institution with grades nine through twelve. It opened in 2006 with a ninth grade class and will see that first class graduate in June 2010. Although similar in many ways to other independent, private schools in the city, MJHS uses the Harkness Method, which means that each class sits around an oval table for discussion-based learning. In addition to teaching traditional academic subjects, the school integrates Jewish tradition into the students’ daily schedules including Hebrew language and culture. Students with demonstrated financial need are considered for endowment scholarships.
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 6191 Park Avenue
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 4830 Walnut Grove Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 60 Perkins Road Extended
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 2500 Ridgeway Road
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Address: 650 East Parkway
13. Crichton College
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Telephone: (901) 320-9700
Address: 255 North Highland Street
Description: Crichton (pronounced CRY-ton) is a nondenominational Christian college, known for intimate classroom experiences and fostering an attitude of service. It recently moved to a new campus on Highland Street. Enrollment is about 925.
14. Lemoyne-Owen College
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Telephone: (901) 774-9090
Address: 807 Walker Avenue
Description: LeMoyne-Owen is a historically black, private liberal-arts college that was one of the original schools that formed the United Negro College Fund. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Education Convention. The college is committed to providing a holistic education for the traditional and nontraditional student and to providing leadership and service to the Memphis and Mid-South community and beyond. The school awards bachelor’s degrees in arts, sciences, and business administration. Enrollment is about 1,000. After years of mismanagement, LeMoyne-Owen finally achieved its reaccreditation in 2008 with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
15. Memphis College Of Art
City: Memphis, TN
Category: Education
Telephone: (901) 272-5100
Address: 1930 Poplar Avenue
Description: Nestled in the heart of Overton Park in midtown, the College of Art, as it’s known locally, is one of the nation’s leading art schools. It teaches traditional forms in sculpture and painting as well as computer graphic design and photography. With an enrollment of about 250, the school awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees of fine arts. The school prides itself on its 11-to-1 student-teacher ratio.Students have showings throughout the year, including an annual holiday show and sale. The college’s lobby is also the scene for some of the city’s more inspired art shows.