Memphis STEM Academy vs Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus

Memphis STEM Academy and Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus sit 13.1 miles apart in Memphis, Tennessee, yet rank within the top 30 schools statewide out of 1,785. Memphis STEM Academy edges Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus by 0.3 overall rating points — 9.5/10 versus 9.2/10 — and holds the stronger state rank at #7 compared to Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus at #26. Both are exceptional performers by any measure, but the gap between them is real and shows up most clearly in academic proficiency.

The sharpest contrast between the two schools is in academic scores: Memphis STEM Academy posts an 8.8/10 versus Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus's 7.4/10 — a 1.4-point difference that reflects meaningfully higher measured proficiency. Growth scores, however, tell a nearly identical story: Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus scores a perfect 10.0/10 on student growth, while Memphis STEM Academy is just behind at 9.9/10. Both schools are developing students at an elite rate; Memphis STEM Academy simply starts from a higher proficiency baseline.

Enrollment at the two schools is nearly identical — Memphis STEM Academy serves 243 students and Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus serves 254. Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus offers a slightly tighter student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 compared to Memphis STEM Academy's 13.5:1, meaning roughly one additional student per teacher on average. Neither ratio signals a crowded classroom, but families prioritizing smaller instructional groups will find a marginal advantage at Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus.

The most structurally significant difference is grade span. Memphis STEM Academy serves prekindergarten through fifth grade, while Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus extends from kindergarten through eighth grade. Families with a pre-K-age child have only one option here: Memphis STEM Academy. Families thinking beyond elementary school will find that Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus offers continuity through middle school, eliminating one school transition entirely.