Wells Station Elementary vs Memphis STEM Academy

Memphis STEM Academy holds a narrow overall rating edge over Wells Station Elementary — 9.5 out of 10 versus 9.3 out of 10 — but the more meaningful gap lies in state rank. Memphis STEM Academy sits at #7 of 1,785 Tennessee schools while Wells Station Elementary ranks #17 of 1,785, placing both schools firmly in the state's top 1% yet separating them by ten positions in a highly competitive tier.

On academic performance, Memphis STEM Academy scores 8.8 out of 10 compared to Wells Station Elementary's 8.3 — a half-point gap that reflects meaningfully stronger tested proficiency at the STEM-focused charter. Growth scores are nearly identical: Memphis STEM Academy posts a 9.9 out of 10 versus Wells Station Elementary's 9.8, indicating both schools are exceptionally effective at accelerating student learning relative to baseline, regardless of where students start.

The two schools differ sharply in scale. Wells Station Elementary enrolls 633 students across its PK–05 grades, while Memphis STEM Academy serves just 243 students across the same grade span. That smaller enrollment translates into a slightly less favorable student-teacher ratio at Memphis STEM Academy — 13.5 students per teacher versus Wells Station Elementary's 12.7:1 — meaning Wells Station actually offers marginally more individual adult attention despite its larger overall headcount. Families weighing classroom intimacy against school-wide community size will find that tradeoff real, not trivial.

The structural distinction is equally significant: Wells Station Elementary is a regular public school, while Memphis STEM Academy is a charter, requiring an active enrollment or lottery process. Memphis STEM Academy's curricular identity around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is baked into its model from PK onward, whereas Wells Station Elementary operates as a traditional neighborhood elementary. The two campuses sit 5.2 miles apart in Memphis, making either a plausible daily commute for families across a broad swath of the city.