Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS vs Power Center Academy Elementary School

Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS and Power Center Academy Elementary School sit 10.2 miles apart in Memphis, Tennessee, and land almost identically in overall ratings — 8.1 versus 8.2 out of 10 — but their state ranks reveal a modest separation: Power Center Academy Elementary School sits at #230 of 1,785 Tennessee schools while Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS comes in at #268 of 1,785. That 38-rank gap is real but narrow, and neither school sits in the bottom half of the state by any measure.

The sharpest academic difference is on raw proficiency. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS scores 8.4/10 on academics against Power Center Academy Elementary School's 7.0/10 — a 1.4-point gap that reflects meaningfully stronger tested outcomes at Wells despite its smaller footprint. Growth, however, is a dead heat: both schools post a 9.8/10 growth score, signaling that students at each campus are advancing at an exceptional rate relative to peers with similar starting points.

The schools diverge most visibly in scale and staffing. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS enrolls 98 students with a 6.1:1 student-teacher ratio, producing a genuinely intimate environment where individual attention is structural, not aspirational. Power Center Academy Elementary School serves 712 students at a 14.8:1 ratio — closer to a typical urban elementary — and operates as a charter school rather than a regular public school, which carries its own set of enrollment processes and governance structures.

Grade span is also a practical differentiator. Ida B. Wells Academy ES/MS covers kindergarten through eighth grade, meaning families who enroll at the start can stay through middle school without a transition. Power Center Academy Elementary School serves only kindergarten through fifth grade, so parents planning ahead will need to identify a separate middle school placement before the end of fifth grade.