Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary vs Compass Community School Frayser Campus

Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary holds a meaningful edge in overall rating, scoring 9.3/10 against Compass Community School Frayser Campus's 7.9/10 — a 1.4-point gap that translates directly into state rank: Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary sits at #20 of 1,785 schools in Tennessee, while Compass Community School Frayser Campus ranks #326 of 1,785. For parents who weight a school's standing against the full field of Tennessee elementary schools, that 306-position difference is not marginal.

The academic score delta is the sharpest number in this comparison. Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary scores 9.2/10 on academics versus Compass Community School Frayser Campus's 6.2/10 — a 3-point spread that reflects proficiency levels on state assessments. Growth tells a different story: Compass Community School Frayser Campus edges ahead with a 9.9/10 growth score compared to Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary's 9.3/10. That means students entering Compass are gaining ground at a slightly faster rate year over year, even if their absolute proficiency floor is lower. A family moving into the district with a child who is behind grade level may find Compass's growth trajectory more relevant than its academic baseline.

Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary enrolls 271 students to Compass Community School Frayser Campus's 204, yet both schools run nearly identical student-teacher ratios — 12.3:1 and 12.0:1 respectively — so class-size experience is effectively the same. The structural difference is school type: Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary is a regular public school, while Compass Community School Frayser Campus is a charter, which means enrollment typically requires an application or lottery rather than simple attendance-zone assignment.

The grade-span distinction carries real logistical weight. Balmoral/Ridgeway Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade, meaning families will need a separate middle school placement after fifth grade. Compass Community School Frayser Campus runs kindergarten through eighth grade, keeping students in one building through middle school. The two campuses are 13.4 miles apart in Memphis, so switching between them is not a simple cross-street decision — whichever school a family chooses, they are likely committing for the long run.