Memphis STEM Academy vs Aurora Collegiate Academy

Memphis STEM Academy and Aurora Collegiate Academy sit 7.1 miles apart in Memphis, Tennessee, but the gap between them on paper is considerably wider. Memphis STEM Academy holds an overall rating of 9.3/10 against Aurora Collegiate Academy's 8.2/10 — a 1.1-point difference — and that separation sharpens when you look at state rank: Memphis STEM Academy ranks #22 of 1,785 schools in Tennessee while Aurora Collegiate Academy ranks #231 of the same pool. Both are legitimately high-performing schools, but Memphis STEM Academy sits in a rare tier at the top of a large state field.

The academic score delta drives that ranking gap most directly. Memphis STEM Academy scores 8.8/10 in academics versus Aurora Collegiate Academy's 6.0/10 — a 2.8-point difference that reflects meaningfully stronger proficiency outcomes. What makes the comparison unusual is that the growth score is identical: both schools earn a 9.9/10, indicating that students at each campus are gaining ground at an exceptional rate regardless of where they start. Aurora Collegiate Academy is accelerating students quickly; Memphis STEM Academy is doing the same from a higher baseline.

On the enrollment and staffing side, the two schools are nearly matched. Memphis STEM Academy serves 243 students with a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio; Aurora Collegiate Academy enrolls 330 students at a 13.8:1 ratio. The differences here are marginal — families choosing on class size alone will find little daylight between them. Both maintain ratios that allow for meaningful individual attention in elementary classrooms.

One structural difference worth noting: Memphis STEM Academy serves grades PK–05, extending access to pre-kindergarten students, while Aurora Collegiate Academy begins at kindergarten. For families with children younger than five, Memphis STEM Academy is the only option of the two. Beyond that grade-level distinction, the schools' program framing diverges — the STEM branding at Memphis STEM Academy signals an explicit curricular emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from the earliest grades.