Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS vs Idlewild Elementary

Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS holds an overall rating of 9.4/10 against Idlewild Elementary's 8.9/10 — a 0.5-point gap that places both schools among Tennessee's elite. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS ranks #11 of 1,785 schools statewide, while Idlewild Elementary ranks #57 of 1,785. Both are exceptional performers, but 46 spots separate them in the state standings, and the underlying data shows each school winning on different dimensions.

The academic picture splits sharply. Idlewild Elementary leads on academic score at 9.7/10 compared to Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS's 8.4/10 — a 1.3-point gap that signals stronger measured proficiency at Idlewild. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS flips the script on growth: its 9.8/10 growth score outpaces Idlewild Elementary's 9.0/10 by 0.8 points. That gap matters for families whose children are working toward grade level or accelerating above it — Ida B. Wells is moving students faster relative to where they started.

The two schools differ dramatically in scale and staffing. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS enrolls 98 students total, producing a student-teacher ratio of 6.1:1. Idlewild Elementary serves 588 students at a 15.9:1 ratio. A parent choosing Ida B. Wells is choosing a school where each teacher covers fewer than seven children — a structural advantage for individualized attention that Idlewild, nearly six times larger, cannot match at its current staffing level.

Grade span is the most concrete structural difference: Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS serves kindergarten through eighth grade, keeping students in one building for nine years, while Idlewild Elementary covers only kindergarten through fifth grade, requiring a school transition before middle school. Families who value continuity and fewer school changes will find Ida B. Wells's K–8 model particularly relevant. Both schools sit 2.9 miles apart within Memphis, making the choice primarily one of priorities rather than geography.