Public School Review - Established 2003

University Middle School vs. Maxine Smith Steam Academy

Should you attend University Middle School or Maxine Smith Steam Academy? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, test scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.

School Overview

School
University Middle School
330 Innovation Dr
Memphis, TN 38111
: 
8/
10
Top 30%
Maxine Smith Steam Academy
750 E Parkway S
Memphis, TN 38104
: 
10/
10
Top 5%
Top Rankings

University Middle School ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Tennessee for:

Category
Attribute
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 20%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 20%)

Maxine Smith Steam Academy ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Tennessee for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 5%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 10%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 5%)
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 20%)
Overview
Serving 268 students in grades 6-8, University Middle School ranks in the top 30% of all schools in Tennessee for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 50%, and reading proficiency is top 50%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 32% (which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 31%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 54% (which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 37%).
The student:teacher ratio of 10:1 is lower than the Tennessee state level of 15:1.
Minority enrollment is 47% of the student body (majority Black), which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 43% (majority Black).
Serving 397 students in grades 6-8, Maxine Smith Steam Academy ranks in the top 5% of all schools in Tennessee for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 10%, and reading proficiency is top 10%).
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 60% (which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 31%). The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 79% (which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 37%).
The student:teacher ratio of 17:1 is higher than the Tennessee state level of 15:1.
Minority enrollment is 70% of the student body (majority Black), which is higher than the Tennessee state average of 43% (majority Black).
Blue Ribbon Schools
-
Yes
Grades Offered
6-8
6-8
Total Students
268 students
397 students
This chart displays total students of University Middle School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays total students of Maxine Smith Steam Academy by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Male | % Female
51% | 49%
53% | 47%
This chart displays gender of University Middle School
This chart displays gender of Maxine Smith Steam Academy
Total Classroom Teachers
26 teachers
24 teachers
This chart displays the total teachers of University Middle School by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the total teachers of Maxine Smith Steam Academy by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
10:1
17:1
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of University Middle School and the public school average student teacher ratio of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the student teacher ratio of Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the public school average student teacher ratio of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Test Scores

#426 out of 1761 schools in TN
(Top 30%)
#74 out of 1761 schools in TN
(Top 5%)
This chart displays the overall school rank of University Middle School, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the overall school rank of Maxine Smith Steam Academy, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
32%
(Top 50% in TN)
60%
(Top 10% in TN)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of University Middle School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of public schools in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
54%
(Top 20% in TN)
79%
(Top 5% in TN)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of University Middle School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
55-59%
(Top 20% in TN)
69%
(Top 10% in TN)
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of University Middle School and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of public schools in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of public schools in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Grade

Students by Grade
This chart displays the students of University Middle School by grade.
This chart displays the students of Maxine Smith Steam Academy by grade.
Grade 6 Students
84
149
Grade 7 Students
94
137
Grade 8 Students
90
111

Students by Ethnicity

% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
3%
n/a
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in University Middle School and the percentage of Asian public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of Asian public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
% Hispanic
5%
9%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in University Middle School and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of Hispanic public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Black
32%
54%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in University Middle School and the percentage of Black public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of Black public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
53%
30%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in University Middle School and the percentage of White public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of White public school students in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
7%
7%
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in University Middle School and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the percentage of students of two or more races in Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the percentage of public school students of two or more races in Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
0.61
0.61
This chart displays the diversity score of University Middle School and the public school average diversity score of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the diversity score of Maxine Smith Steam Academy and the public school average diversity score of Tennessee by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
 
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