Newberry Elementary vs Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus

Newberry Elementary and Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus sit just 0.2 miles apart in Memphis and arrive at identical overall ratings of 9.2/10, yet they reach that number through different academic profiles. In Tennessee's statewide ranking, Newberry Elementary places #24 of 1,785 schools and Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus places #26 of 1,785 — two spots apart, which for practical purposes means parents are choosing between two genuinely elite Memphis schools rather than a clear frontrunner and an also-ran.

The academic gap between the two schools is the most concrete differentiator. Newberry Elementary holds an academic score of 8.8/10 against Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus's 7.4/10 — a 1.4-point delta that reflects stronger measured proficiency at Newberry. The growth story runs the opposite direction: Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus posts a near-perfect growth score of 10.0/10, edging Newberry Elementary's already-strong 9.7/10. That means students at Compass are advancing at a marginally faster pace relative to their starting points, even while testing at lower absolute proficiency levels overall.

Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus enrolls 254 students compared to Newberry Elementary's 378, a difference that shows up in the classroom. Compass runs a student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 versus Newberry Elementary's 15.1:1 — roughly two fewer students per teacher. For families who prioritize smaller class sizes and more individual attention, that structural difference matters independently of the test-score comparison.

The two schools also differ in type and grade range in ways that shape long-term planning. Newberry Elementary is a regular public school serving grades PK through 05, while Compass Community School Hickory Hill Campus is a charter school that extends through grade 08. Families with children starting at pre-K age gain access to an earlier entry point at Newberry, while those looking to minimize school transitions could carry a child through middle school at Compass without re-enrolling elsewhere. Both serve the same Memphis neighborhood and draw from the same community.