Promise Academy

Promise Academy is an elementary campus of modestly sized scale in Memphis, Tennessee, part of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, caters to 282 students in grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Tennessee's public schools average about 470 students each, so Promise Academy sits 40% below that benchmark.

Across the 211 schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools (111,979 students total), Promise Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Promise Academy reports that nearly all students (86%) are Black. Other groups include 12% Hispanic. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 52%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Shelby County indicate median household earnings sit near $63,767, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Shelby County runs 287 public schools (combined enrollment of about 154,209 students), of which Promise Academy is one.

KIPP Memphis Collegiate High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Promise Academy.

The school occupies a city-core site. Promise Academy operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 29%: 395 students in 2018 compared to 282 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment decreased from 95% to 86% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.