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The East High Alumni Page presents:

Today's East High School
East High School, Memphis, Tennessee

Some information about East High School in the present time.
Another good source of current information about East High is our
East In the News section, our At the school listing, our History Section, and the school's web site.
This page also has a limited athletic news section.

East High School's Attendance Zone Map

Consolidated Page of Reports on East High STEM Optional School Plan
Academics Building and Campus
3206 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111
See our Consolidated Page of Reports on the East High STEM Optional School Program

East High Gets Grade of "A" From the State Department of Education

Image of state's letter grade for East High 2023December 21, 2021 - “Only nine of MSCS’ nearly 200 schools received A grades in Tennessee’s rollout of school letter grades. East High School was one of the nine... Out of the district’s 198 schools, nine received an A (4.5% of schools), 30 received a B (15.2%), 72 received a C (36.4%), 44 received a D (22.2%) and 43 received an F (21.7%). (The Daily Memphian, Dec. 21, 2023)

“Similar to how classroom letter grades provide a snapshot of student learning, school letter grades allow families and communities an opportunity to see how well their schools are serving all students.” (Tennessee Department of Education).

The state letter grades are based on “student achievement, student academic growth, growth of the highest need students and college and career readiness”

The other Shelby County School District schools receiving the “A” grade this year are Medical District High School, Middle College High School, Richland Elementary School, White Station High School, University High School, University Middle School, Campus School, and
Winridge Elementary School.

There are several aspects of academic achievement and growth that are measured with different weights given to each. East received a 5, the highest score in most of these and the lowest East received was a 4. Overall, East’s score was a 5. See the results for East High's scoring on the Department of Education’s web site or a pdf of the page giving East's score here.


East High Graduates 98.3%

2023 East High graduates
November 21, 2023 - The Tennessee Department of Education yesterday released the 2023graduation rates for Tennessee high schools and East High School's rate was 98.3% for its 119 student cohort. That's the third highest among all the Memphis Shelby County School District high schools. The two schools district schools with higher rates achieved a 100% graduation rate. They were City University School of Independence and Hollis F. Price.Traditional academic competitors in the district Central High had a 98.2% rate among its 290 student cohort and White Station High's 458 pupils had a 89.8% graduation rate. The graduation rate for all Memphis Shelby County District schools was 81.5% for the same period. Top academic schools in the county, based on ACT data in recent years, Collierville and Germantown's Houston High graduated 94.2% and  89.4% respectively, both with hundreds more students in their cohort. These rates are based on the federal graduation rate guideline, which counts only graduates who completed the required courses in 4 years of high school (including summers). The state also has a slightly different rate which provides some dispensation for students with disabilities.
Note: in the above photo of the 2023 graduation ceremony the students are not facing the camera because the seating arrangement had them facing the stage with their backs to the audience.

State Report Card on East High Indicates High Scores

November 28, 2022 - The Tennessee Department of Education today released the school report card for the 2021-2022 school year. Here is the summary for East High School where the score of 0 is poor and the score of 4 is best. (Also, for an important measure, see the ACT scores.)
Achievement 2022
Growth 2022
Cronically Absent 2022
Graduation Rate 2021
Ready Graduate 2021
4
4
2.8
4
4

Tennessee Department of Education Logo

In the above assessment, the achievement score is assessed based on the percent of students who met or exceeded grade-level expectations (i.e., success rate) on state math and ELA assessments. The Growth indicator looks closely at the progress students are making within a school compared to the average progress of all students across the state. In the 2021-22 school year, ELA and Math state assessments were used to measure growth in grades 3-12 using TVAAS. Cronically absent is defined as the percent of students who missed at least 10% of the instructional days that they were enrolled for during the school year. The Graduation Rate indicator looks at the percentage of students who are successfully finishing high school with a regular high school diploma or an alternate academic diploma (AAD) in four years plus a summer. The graduation rate reported reflects the prior year's graduating class (i.e., the Class of 2021). The Ready Graduate rate represents the percent of students who are ready for postsecondary education and/or career before high school graduation. The Ready Graduate rate data used for school accountability lag for one year; hence, the data reported in the 2021-22 report card came from the 2021 graduating cohort.

Below are some further details. The East High Alumni Page would have liked to, and tried to, use the same maxtrix as last year to display the information but as is typical, it appears the Tennessee Department of Education is presenting the data in a different way. Despite considerable time reviewing this year's report card, as in the past, it seems difficult to determine the actual academic results of the students and certainly difficult to compare year to year and school to school. Perhaps a statistician could evaluate the numbers and provide comperable data. If you are such a statistician, your help would be welcome.

Subject
Below
Expectations
Approaching
Expectations
Met
Expectations
Exceeded
Expectations
Met or Exceeded
Expectations
English
N/A
N/A N/A N/A 68.4%
Math
26.5%
35%
31.9%
6.6%
38.4%
U.S. History
N/A N/A N/A N/A 76.4%
Biology
7.6%
39.8%
43.6%
9%
52.6%
Geometry
N/A N/A N/A N/A 30.7%

ACT LogoThe East High Alumni Page continues to believe the best overall measurement of academic achievement is the ACT score. Tennessee reports ACT scores for the previous graduating year, so these are for those in the 2021 graduating cohort. It should also be noted that in 1989 the ACT changed its scoring but provided a concordance so pre and post 1989 scores can be compared. For further evaluation, some of scores from the top public high schools in Shelby County are also provided.
School
Avg. English
Avg. Math
Avg. Reading
Avg. Science
Avg. Composit
East High
20.5
18.6
22.1
20.6
20.6
White Station
22.6
21.4
23.5
22.1
22.5
Collierville
23.3
22.2
24.3
22.8
23.3
Houston High
24.8
22.7
25.4
23.9
24.3
All Shelby County Public Schools
15.7
16.4
16.9
17
16.6
Statewide (Tennessee) Public Schools




19.1
Starting with the 2015-16 data files, schools’ and districts’ average ACT scores and percentages are calculated using the highest scores students earn in the three years preceding their graduation only for those students who are counted as graduates for a given school or district, depending on the file. Please note that in prior years the data reflected the most recent scores for students who were expected to graduate in a given year whether they graduated that year or not.

East High Designated a “Reward School”

Reward School bannerSeptember 16, 2022 - Tennessee Department of Education logoSeptember 16, 2022 -  The Tennessee Department of Education has designated East High School as a reward school. “Schools are recognized as a Reward school when they demonstrate high levels of performance and/or improvement in performance by meeting their annual measurable objectives across performance indicators and student groups. “
    Schools are evaluated on their achievement on (1)  the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) assessments, (2) TCAP assessment growth over time, (3) rates at which students are Chronically Out of School, (4)performance on the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), (5) Graduation Rate and (6) Ready Graduate Rate (the rate at which students graduate while also having achieved milestones associated with college and career readiness).


East High Shows Double Expected
Academic Growth for 2021-2022

August 19, 2022 - The Tennessee Department of Education this week released the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) results for 2022, which measures the growth of academic accomplishment compared to what is expected over a year’s period.

East High earned a composite TVAAS score of 5, the highest level. Level five means that students academic growth was twice, or more, than was expected over the 2021-2022 school year. Quite a few Memphis-Shelby County Schools (the county school system) earned a level 5 score, as the school district did as a whole.

It is important to note that TVAAS does not measure academic achievement. Academic growth measured by TVAAS can be extraordinary yet the level of academic knowledge of the subject matter could be far below that which is desired. On the other hand, high performing students who excel in learning the subject matter could possibly not have as much TVAAS growth but, obviously, are gaining a lot of knowledge of the subject matter.

Here is the breakdown by subject matter for the East High students in 2022.

Subject
TVAAS Level
Composite 5
Algebra I
5
Algebra II
5
Biology I
2
English I
5
English II
5
Geometry
3
U.S. History
5
English
3
Math
3
Reading
5
Science/Reasoning
4

The  state has changed what each of those levels mean, or  at least how it describes what they mean. This article is going to use a previously provided description from past years which used plain language This writer believes these descriptions generally still provide a good idea of the academic growth but may be too general for educational statisticians. See the Editor's note below.  Here's how it used to be explained:
Level 5 = much greater than expected academic growth in one year
Level 4 = greater than expected academic growth in one year
Level 3 = met the expected academic growth in one year
Level 2 = less than expected academic growth in one year
Level 1 = much less than expected academic growth in one year

[Editor’s note: the Tennessee academic reporting system is, at least for this writer, difficult to understand. Furthermore, if one is able to understand the methodology, the state will change is in a year or two. This editor wonders if that’s intentional to keep the public from holding educational institutions accountable. Even if not intentional, it must be a secondary result of changing the measurement and reporting criteria and methods. Having said that, you are welcome to read the state’s 2021-22 Accountability Protocol at the Tennessee Department of Education's web site.
If you understand the protocol as it relates to this article on The East High Alumni Page and have any enlightenment or corrections, that would be welcome. Contact editor@EastHigh.org.]


Downgraded Academic Reporting Standard
Approved By Board of Education

June 28, 2022 - The administration of the Memphis-Shelby County School district has adopted a downgraded grading reporting standard to what is generally called a 10 point system. The eight members of the Board of Education in attendance at the time of the vote all agreed with the proposal. The new scale is:
A = 90 to 100;
B = 80 to 89;
C = 70 to 79;
D = 60 to 69;
F = 0 to 59.
Prior to this vote, the scale for many years had been:
A = 93 to 100;
B = 85 to 92;
C = 75 to 84;
D = 70 to 74;
F = 0 to 69.
The administration claims the reasons for the proposed change are to match the scale used by some Memphis area suburban school districts grading policies and to better align with a Tennessee state grading scale. The state scale, however, is for state financial aid reporting and by law permits local school districts to set their own scale for other purposes.

Class of 2022 Graduated

May 24, 2022 - Tonight 95 East High students joined the ranks of thousands of East High Alumni. The 72nd commencement exercise of East High was held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis. The Cannon Center stand on the ground of the old Ellis Auditorium, where quite a few East High graduations were held decades ago. It was announced that the Class members have received $11-million in scholarship offers.
Members of the Class of 2022 are invited to participate on The East High Alumni Page on the Class of 2022 page.

New East High Principal Named

April 28 2022 - Pamela McKinley has been named the new incoming principal of East High School. McKinley will be replacing Newman Robertson.
   McKinley is currently assistant principal at Overton High School. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, has earned a master degree Alabama A&M University, and a doctorate from Walden University. McKinley says she will officially take the reins of East High July 1.

East Announces Better Academic Achievement than Other Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Additional Academic Data for 2021 Released

April 16, 2022 - East High has announced the following. "The district common assessment data came out and we have more students performing at On-Track and Mastery than any other High School!"
A closer look at the data released by the state suggests the district as a whole is not performing as well as would be desirable. Some of those statistics for East High School are below. Editor's note: some additional data was added (ACT scores, Ready Graduate percentages, and graduation rate) later the same day as the original posting.

Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery of the class subject matter:
Overall 37%
Economically Disadvantaged
27.6%
English Language Learner Not enough students
Students with Disabilities Not enough students
Combined
30.5%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American 30.2%
   
Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery compared to district & state:
School (East High)
37%
Memphis-Shelby County School District
11%
State of Tennessee Public Schools
27.8%

Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery in English Language Arts:
ELA Achievement  Overall   57.7%
Achievement (ELA) By Race
American Indian/Alaska Native Not enough students
Asian Greater than 95%
Black/African American
51.1%
Hispanic 42.1%
White 76.4%
Achievement (ELA) By Group
Economically Disadvantaged 44.6%
English Language Learner Not enough students
Students with Disabilities Not enough students
Combined 50.8%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American 50.8%
Achievement (ELA) By Level
Below Less than 5%
Approaching N/A
On Track N/A
Mastered N/A

Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery in Math:
Math Achievement Overall 18.3%
Math Achievement By Race
American Indian/Alaska Native Not enough students
Asian 50%
Black/African American 13%
Hispanic 15.4%
White 37.9%
Achievement (ELA) By Group
Economically Disadvantaged 13.7%
English Language Learner 27.3%
Students with Disabilities
Not enough students
Combined 13.8%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American
13.2%
Achievement (Math) By Level
Below N/A
Approaching  
N/A
On Track N/A
Mastered  
 Less than 5%
   
Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery in Social Studies:
Overall (Social Studies) 47.2%
Achievement (Social Studies) By Race
American Indian/Alaska Native Not enough students
Asian
Not enough students
Black/African American 38.6%
Hispanic Not enough students
White
Not enough students
Achievement (Social Studies) By Group
Economically Disadvantaged 31%
English Language Learner Not enough students
Students with Disabilities
Not enough students
Combined 42.2%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American 42.2%
Achievement (Social Studies) By Level
Below 18.1%
Approaching 34.7%
On Track 33.3%
Mastered 13.9%

Students performing on-track academically or categorized as having mastery in Science:
Science Achievement Overall  63.3%
Achievement (Science) By Race
Asian Not enough students
Black/African American 55.3%
Hispanic Not enough students
White 91.4%
Achievement (Science) By Group
Economically Disadvantaged 46.4%
English Language Learner Not enough students
Students with Disabilities Not enough students
Combined 56.3%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American
55.8%
Achievement (Science) By Level
Below 7.8%
Approaching 28.9%
On Track 52.8%
Mastered 10.6%

      
Another measurement the state makes is in student growth. This is called the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). It measures how much academic advancement an individual student makes during one year. It is very important to distinguish between advancement and achievement. TVAAS is advancement (also called growth), not achievement. For example, a student could make more than a year's worth of academic advancement during a school year yet still be below the "on track" designation. The scoring is one to five, with Level 5 being the highest. Level 3 is generally described as making the expected year's worth of advancement in a year's time. Here are the aggregated, meaning the school as a whole, student growth figures for East High for the 2020-2021 school year.
Student Growth  (TVAAS) Overall  3
Economically Disadvantaged 4
English Language Learner Data not available or suppressed for privacy
Students with Disabilities Data not available or suppressed for privacy
Combined
3
Black/Hispanic/ Native American 4
Student Growth  (TVAAS) by Subject
ELA Growth (English Language Arts)
5
Math Growth
1

 
The state reports for the 2020-2021 school year East High had 44 teachers for an overall student to teacher ratio of 12:1. The school retained 87.5% of its teachers in 2020-2021 from the previous year.

The state reported East High had 545 students for the 2020-2021 school year. The demographics are below.
Number of Students Enrolled
545
American Indian/Alaska Native Less than 5%
Asian
Less than 5%
Black/African American 73.4%
Hispanic 5.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Not enough students
White 18.5%
Student Demographics by Group
Economically Disadvantaged 29.5%
English Language Learner Less than 5%
Students with Disabilities Less than 5%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American 79.3%
Foster Less than 5%
Homeless Not enough students
Migrant Not enough students
Military Family Not enough students

As previously reported here, the Class of 2020 ACT aggregate composite score was 16.2. The state reports the ACT score from the previous year at the end of a graduating class's year. Therefore, the 2020 score is the most recent reported by the state.
Average ACT composite score by subject  (2020) Overall:  16.2
Math  
15.7
Reading 16.4
English 15.4
Science 16.7

 In 1989, the ACT revised its testing and scoring. The 16.2 score for East High equates to about a 12 on the pre-1989 ACT test.
 
Similarly, the state reports the "ready graduate" percentage for the previous year's graduating class. So the following represents the Class of 2020 evaluation. This rate represents the percentage of students who demonstrate readiness for college and careers after high school.
Class of 2020 overall who were ready graduates
12.5%
Ready graduate rate by student group
Economically Disadvantaged
8.1%
English Language Learner
Not enough students
Students with Disabilities
Less than 5%
Combined
12.5%
Black/Hispanic/ Native American
12.4%

The graduation rate as reported by the state is also for the year 2020 and stood at 84.1% but also reported by the state earlier
was the 2021 graduation rate, previously reported here, was 96.1%.

Source: Tennessee Department of Education

It should be noted that the Class of 2021 was the first in which all students were admitted to the STEM optional (magnet) program and there were no "traditional curriculum" students enrolled. So the 2020 ACT scores, ready graduate, and graduation rate apply also apply to traditional students who attended East High mostly based on their residence within the East attendance zone. Also, the classes of 2020 and 2021 education methods were affected by the pandemic.


New Executive Principal Named

January 14, 2022 - Andy Demster, the principal of Maxine Smith STEAM Academy has been named the new Executive Principal to oversee that middle school and East High School. He takes the position previously held by Lischa Barrett ('91 and Faculty) Brooks, who resigned effective January 1 after nearly 24 years with the school system. Both Maxine Smith and East High will have their own principals as well. Newman Robertson will continue as principal at East High.

The announcement of Demster’s promotion was about the only news to come out of last night's second Community Meeting at East High regarding the school district’s proposal to move the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, which has grades 6-8, into the East High building while maintaining it as a separate school.

Update: 10:45 a.m. - The conceptual drawing of the proposed semi-circular drive off of Holmes Street to serve what would be the main entrance for the middle school, which was not available last night, is now available. Please see the article at the right.

Genard Phillips, Chief of Business Operations for Shelby County Schools, told the attendees that plans included upgrades to the athletic practice field.

About 50 people were in attendance at the meeting, of which about a dozen were school system employees.

More information about the proposed move of the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school into the East High building can be found below and in the column to the right.

Second community meeting January 13 regarding the proposed Maxine Smith STEAM Academy move into the East High building

See the information in the Building and Campus section to the right.

More Details of Proposed Move of
Maxine Smith STEAM Academy to
the East High Building Revealed
at Community Meeting

December 9, 2021 [updated December 10, 2021] - Two high ranking officials of the Shelby County School District tonight shared general information about the school system plans and more specifically about the proposal to move the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school into the East High building beginning in August, 2022. The event was the last of several “Reimagining 901 Community Input Sessions” held this fall. “Reimagining 901" is the billing the school superintendent has given to his overall plan for the school system’s future. About 50 people were in the audience, more than 25% were school system employees. But there were members of the general public, perhaps parents of pupils, and a few East students in attendance.

The general information Deputy Superintendent John Barker and Deputy Superintendent Angela Whitelaw shared was not particularly new, especially for those who have kept up with the pronouncements of the school system for the past year. What was new were more details about the proposal to bring the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy students over to the East building next summer. The co-location is a proposal by the school district’s administration, it has not yet been approved by the school board.

The co-location plan is physical only, both institutions would remain separate schools. The middle school would occupy the eastern side of the main building while the East High students would have classes on the west side. For alumni from the first 3 ½ decades of East High’s existence, that is not a radical idea. From when the school opened in 1948 until 1985, elementary students were housed in the eastern wings of the school and higher level classes were held in the western wings. In 1985, elementary classes at East were discontinued.

A few East High students attended the meeting and expressed opposition to bringing the middle school into the building. A member of the Student Government Association said that those who had expressed opinions within his hearing were against the proposal. Among the student’s objects were the loss of the culture developed at East, that adding the middle school would hinder the high school by taking away classroom space, and that it could drive away teachers and staff. Students repeatedly expressed concern that two teachers had left this fall but a school official reported they left for personal reasons.

School district officials said that there was plenty of room in the building since it has a capacity of 1,200 students and if the two schools were co-located in the building at current enrollment the count would be 926. There are 573 students at East High and 353 at Maxine Smith STEAM Academy. Whitelaw did admit there would be some less space for high school teachers in that some would have only one classroom instead of two for their use. Many years ago, East High held about 2,000 students in grades 1-12 in the main building.

The officials said the plan would allow Maxine Smith STEAM Academy to grow enrollment as well as allowing East High to continue to expand. The middle school currently is co-located with the Middle College High School in the old Fairview Junior High School building at Central Avenue and East Parkway. In addition, the move would allow that high school to grow since it would create more available space for it in the Fairview building.

The deputy superintendents also said that having the two schools together in the same building could provide shared resources as well as the possibility of more successful combined grant applications.

It appears the plan to co-locate the two schools would not entail major physical changes to the building or campus. The primary visible change would be a semi-circle drive off of Holmes Street that would provide a drop off area for the middle school entrance on the east side of the building and provide a “whole different look.” Despite that comment, it was confirmed by a senior district official that there was no planned change to the facade of the building. A look at the area, however, indicates some or all of six large trees may be at risk of being removed for the new drop off driveway. Some district office staff that are housed in the school are expected out of the building.

Whitelaw said, “This should be the epic school for the city,” partly based on its central location  and between two major roadways. She further said that East was on the cusp of being one of the top schools in the state.

School district officials said they would be back in January with more information about the plan and a rendering of what the changes on the east side of the building might look like.

[This article was updated December 10, 2021, to provide information that was inadvertently not posted with the original upload.]

East High's Exective Principal to Resign
from Shelby County Schools

December 2, 2021 - Lischa Barrett ('91 and Faculty) Brooks, an East High alumnus, who became the Executive Principal of East High in 2017 to transition it into an all-optional (magnet) high school focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), today announced her resignation from the Shelby County School system effective December 31.

When appointed to the East High position, Ms. Brooks was the founding principal of the Maxine Smith STEM Academy, a middle school located at East Parkway and Central Avenue in the old Fairview Junior High building. She became Executive Principal of that school at the same time of the East High appointment.

East has always had another principal even while Ms. Brooks served as Executive Principal. Initially Brooks guided the East STEM program while the existing principal oversaw the traditional curriculum for the students already enrolled at East. Newman Robertson will continue as principal at East High.

In a resignation announcement, Ms. Brooks said that "Both Maxine Smith, since it was founded in 2014, and East are two of the highest performing secondary schools in our district and everything our students touch turns to gold!"

East 2021 Graduation Rate Tops All
But 3 Local Public Schools

November 25, 2021 - The Tennessee Department of Education this week released the 2021 graduation rates for public high schools, which includes charter schools. East High's 2021 graduation rate was 96.1%. For schools with reported data, that is the fourth highest graduation rate in the Shelby County Schools system with only Hollis F. Price Middle College, Soulsville Charter School, Compass Community School Midtown Campus having higher graduation rates. The East High grad rate is also higher than the two other high schools in Shelby County (but separate school districts) which have higher overall academic performance as measured by the ACT and other indicators, Houston High School (91.4%) and Collierville High School (95.8%). The East High Class of 2021 is the first class of in which all of the pupils were in the "optional school" (magnet school) T-STEM (Transportation oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program. Of the 77 in the "graduation cohort," only 3 did not graduate.

State Academic Assessment for 2021
Shows Slight Improvement

According to the Tennessee Department of Education, 12.5% of the East High Class of 2021 were considered "ready graduates," meaning they are believed to be ready for college and careers after high school. That is an improvement over the previous year when it was 10.6% and the 2019 determination of 7.9%.

The state reports something called the
"four year graduation rate over time" and shows East High at 84.6% in 2021. East exceeded the district-wide rate in which 77.7%, but was below the state average of 89.6%.

The state continues to change how it reports and displays school data almost yearly making full understanding a complex task.

ACT Scores for 2019-2020

The Tennessee Department of Education’s report on ACT scores at East High for the graduating seniors at did not show marked improvement over recent years. The state normally requires all public high school juniors to take the ACT. It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the spring 2020 classes, with in-person at the school stopped in mid March, which may well have affected who took the ACT and how seriously it was received by students. The requirement for the ACT and other end of year standardized tests was suspended or otherwise altered. Still, the number taking the ACT at East High, according to the state report, indicates that 99% of the specified cohort took it. The East High Alumni Page believes the ACT is the best available means of evaluating academic performance with the ability to compare different schools across the nation as well as comparison among different class years. (see Why ACT below)

Composite ACT Scores

White Station
23.2

Collierville
24.6
Houston High
25.6

East
16.2
Average Shelby County District-wide:  16.4*

  *Excluding charter schools and the virtual school

In 1989, the ACT revised its testing and scoring. The 16.2 score for East High equates to about a 12 on the pre-1989 ACT test.

East High was once among the highest achieving academic secondary schools in the region. Because of that heritage, The East High Alumni Page chooses to compare it with the public schools currently showing the highest ACT scores. Besides East, the only other Shelby County school shown in this comparison is White Station, which for years has been the highest ranking of the county public schools. Collierville High (Collierville School District) and Houston High (Germantown School District) have been separate from the county school system for a few years. The Memphis City School system surrendered its charter nearly 10 years ago and those schools were absorbed into the county system. The vast majority of today's Shelby County School District schools used to be Memphis City Schools. White Station High School is 50% optional (the local term for a magnet school), so half of those students are in its college preparatory program.

The ACT "college ready" composite ACT score is 21. "The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for students to have a reasonable chance of success in first-year credit college courses at the typical college." (ACT)

Shelby County School District Considers More Lax Grading Scale

August 28, 2021 - The administration of Shelby County Schools (SCS), which includes all the schools that used to be Memphis City Schools as well as some others, is proposing more relaxed grading scale based on 10 point spreads. The administration claims revising the grading scale will "benefit students" by making the comparison with some other school systems' grading more equivalent and decreasing failures. SCS cites the some other area school systems with a relaxed scale, including Arlington Community Schools, Lakeland School System, Millington Municipal Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Knox County Schools, and the Achievement School District (high schools). The administration admits, however, that changing the SCS grading scale could have the potential to lower academic expectations.
Current SCS Grading Scale
Revised Grading Scale Under Consideration
Current grading scale: A = 93-100, B=85-92, C = 75-84, D = 70-74 and F = 0-70
Proposed grading Scale: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D=65-69 and F = 0-63
 Memphis City Schools Grading Scale Upgrade, 1961 (see note below)
Memphis City Schools Grading Upgrade, 1961: A = 95-100, B = 94-86, C = 85-76, D = 75-70 and F = 0-70

As shown above, Memphis City Schools upgraded its grading scale in 1961 from essentially a 10 point spread to a more stringent one saying that it would better prepare the students for college and their future. At least two of the nine member Shelby County School Board have expressed support for adopting the relaxed grading scale.

NOTE: Memphis City Schools no longer exists as a district, those schools are now part of Shelby County Schools.



East High Class of 2021 Graduated
at 71st Commencement Exercise

June 16, 2021 - The 71st Commencement Exercise of East High School was conducted tonight at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Memphis. Seventy-three students were graduated. Thirty-five of those graduates are members of the National Honor Society and had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, that’s 48% of the class! Principal Newman Robertson announced that class members received more than six-and-a-half million dollars in scholarship offers. Executive Principal Lischa Barrett (‘91) Brooks noted it has been exactly 30 years since she was graduated from East High. She also said she has known many of the graduates since they were in the sixth grade as she was principal of the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, a middle school with grades 6-8, and is now executive principal of both schools. Congratulations to the East High Class of 2021!

T-STEM Academy at East High School
Designated a Tennessee STEM School

May 28, 2021 - This month the T-STEM Academy at East High School was designated a "Tennessee STEM School." STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. East is a totally optional school, meaning attendance is by application and acceptance, not by a zone in which the student resides. It began conversion to a STEM school in 2017 and is now a fully optional high school. The name "T-STEM Academy at East High School" is something the local school system is using, some board members had suggested changing the name of East High when the conversion was taking place because East had a bad reputation. But officially, the name of the school remains East High School, at least at this point. This designation of a Tennessee STEM School is separate from the school's conversion to a STEM curriculum but is based upon it having adopted that focus. It appears the state STEM designation is more of a recognition of what is already occurring at East rather than something new at the school, although the state does say such a designation permits the school to get "early access to STEM initiatives state wide."

SCS Claims East High Among
the Best Schools in Tennessee
Based on Magazine's Rankings

   May 26, 2021 - At last night's Shelby county School Board meeting superintendent Joris Ray called up administrators from 14 Shelby County Schools High Schools to be recognized for leading institutions he considers the "best" public schools in Tennessee based on rankings from U.S. News & World Report magazine.
    East High School was among the schools applauded at the meeting for being "ranked among the top in Tennessee."  The claim was based on the magazine's 2021 list of public high schools.
    While the potential of East High significantly improving the academic accomplishment its students is welcome news to alumni, the report by the school system does not seem to tell the whole story.
   It does report that East was ranked as the 108th best high school in the state, and among SCS high schools it rated sixth, behind White Station, Middle College High, Germantown High, Hollis F. Price Middle College High, and Central High.
    The magazine rates 23,553 high schools nationwide. In that national list, East High is at number 7,142. Among what the magazine considered Memphis metro area high schools, East is ranked 22, among schools in Shelby County, eleventh. If the rankings represent a valid assessment, and there are plenty of criticisms of the magazine’s rankings, saying there are 107 public high schools in Tennessee and 7,141 in the nation that are better than East High raises the question of the definition of best. The magazine does, however, rate East at number 555 among the nation’s 1,013 magnet schools, which in the Shelby County School system are called optional schools. East is a fully optional school, meaning it does not have an attendance zone from which it draws students automatically. Rather students must apply to attend and be accepted.
    Shelby County School board members and administration are frequently advocating for positive stories about the school system. Here they claim that these rankings qualify East High as being among the best in the state.

Top Class of 2021 Students

Top left to right: Rank #1 Daniel Graham
Rank #2 Azaria Boyd
Bottom left to right: Rank #3 Nathaniel Garner
Rank #4 Jennifer King

May 24, 2021 - With COVID-19 disrupting the typical testing for the Class of 2020, the academic status of East High was not immediately obvious. This was particularly frustrating because the Class of 2020 represented the first of the full four-year STEM optional curriculum graduates. When recently the school identified its top academic performing students for the Class of 2021, it seemed to perhaps be an indicator of the progress at the school. For example, Mr. Nathaniel Garner, ranked third in the class academically, scored  the highest on the ACT test in the Class with scores no lower than 30 on any of the ACT categories. That included a perfect 36 on the math portion. Such information should be received with caution, however, because the high performers may not be indicative of the advancement of the student body as a whole. Nevertheless, these reports do suggest a reason for optimism.

East Teacher is West Tennessee's High School
Teacher of the Year, 2020-21

Update: Daniel Warner was named West Tennessee Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Department of Education.
East High teacher Daniel Warner is Shelby County Schools High School Teacher of the Year. He leads classes in U.S. history. Warner came to East High through the Memphis Teacher Residency program in 2013, which he joined right after college. He is not a stranger  to accolades. One year ago he was  awarded a James Madison Fellowship to help develop secondary education in American history and government. He used the fellowship to study political science at the University of Memphis. Warner advances as a Region-level Finalist and has a chance to be to be named Tennessee’s statewide Teacher of the Year this summer.


Graduation Day, 2020 — Not

May 21 2020 - Today was the date scheduled for the East High School 70th Commencement Exercise with the Class of 2020 to have been graduated.
Due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and the schools closing their physical facilities, the graduation ceremonies have been suspended.
The school district hopes to hold in-person ceremonies in June.
Shelby County Schools has posted a Class of 2020 web site to celebrate graduating seniors. Access it at http://www.scsk12.org/classof2020/

Details about East's 2020-2021
School Year Revealed in Budget

If the plan holds, when school starts in August, 2020, East High will be an all optional (magnet) school with no geographical attendance zone and all students having had to apply to attend. This coming school year will complete the four year transition of East from a traditional curriculum high school to the all optional school. The optional program at East is called T-STEM, standing for Transportation related-Science-Technology, Engineering, and Math. In the Shelby County School district 2020-2021 budget East’s optional programs are described as "College Preparatory/T-STEM/Diesel Technology."

For this coming school year, the district predicts an increase of 135 students for a total of 506 in its 9-12 grades. Although the main building at East has held more than 1,500 students in decades past when it held grades 1-12, the district now reports the capacity of the school 1,338. East has two additional buildings added since that 1,500 enrollment but the nine classroom “annex” has been removed. The estimated enrollment this coming year would be 39% of the buildings reported capacity.

The district plans 34 classroom teachers at East High for 2020-2021 making the teacher to student ratio 1 to 12.

The budget indicates an expenditure of $3,775,716 for East, which is a cost of $7,462 per student.
[Addendum: The $7,462 per student is the amount budgeted directly to the school, it does not include the central office or other district wide expenses. While the amount budgeted per student does vary by school, the district overall average expense per student is $13,372 per pupil if one includes those services that are shared among all the schools on average, according to the budget.]

The East High Alumni Page has excerpted a page with additional information about East from the district’s adopted budget. You can see it here.


East Prepares to Complete Transition
to an All Optional High School
2020-2021 Course Catalog Released

May 3, 2020 - As plans stand, starting with the August, 2020, school term, East High completes its four year transition into a totally optional (magnet) high school. Students attend after submitting an application and meeting certain criteria. According to the school, in this coming school year, all courses at East are more rigorous and thus carry an Honors, Advanced Placement (AP) or Dual Enrollment designation. The school has released its course catalog for the 2020-2021 school year. Alumni might find it interesting. See it here.

Class of 2020 Graduation Plans Altered
Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

May 2, 2020 - Shelby County Schools, including East High, have been closed since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state legislature passed laws that dictated that no student is to receive a lower yearly grade than they had earned as of March 20, although there are on-line and other methods pupils can raise their grade before the end of the semester. Graduation-eligible students enrolled in quarter 4 Project Graduation classes must complete all coursework by May 22 to earn their credits and graduate on time.
   The previously scheduled graduation assembly has been postponed. The school district has announced a desire to conduct those events in July. In the meantime, there are some other activities celebrating graduating seniors. On May 18, a special web site commemorating graduates will be launched and will include the names of each graduate and commemorative programs. Tentatively there is a drive through at schools for graduates to pick up their diplomas and awards while observing safe social distancing guidelines. Then, if the pandemic situation permits, traditional graduation ceremonies will be held during the week of July 13-26. If that is not possible under the guidelines, "virtual" ceremonies will be held. For more information, see http://www.scsk12.org/coronavirusfacts/files/2020/Grad-Flyer-ENG.pdf

Coronavirus Emergency May Effect T-STEM Achievement Evaluation

Requirement for ACT and End of Year Assessment
Exams Waived for This Year

   April 10, 2020 - The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law in reaction to the coronavirus health emergency which waives the requirements for Tennessee public school students to take what typically are required assessment exams. The waiver includes the requirement that all public school juniors take the ACT.
   The East High Alumni Page has considered the ACT the best broadly administered evaluation of academic achievement allowing not only a comparison among local schools but also schools across the nation and from year to year. The report on this year’s ACT which would have been required of all East High juniors was highly anticipated as it would give the first ACT scores for the T-STEM optional curriculum students. The legislative waiver likely means that there may not be a comprehensive report on ACT scores for East juniors released in the fall. The ACT has rescheduled a nationwide ACT testing day for June 2 but it is unknown how that may affect Shelby County School students. Typically, classes would be dismissed by that date and without the ACT requirement how many East students might take the test is a question. It is possible that the T-STEM pupils are motivated students and could still take the test in sufficient numbers to provide some insight into the academic success of the T-STEM program.
   East is in the third year of a four year transition to from the general curriculum to a fully optional (magnet) school focusing on Transportation related Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) focus. This year, only the 12th grade remained in the traditional curriculum.
   East, along with all public schools in Shelby County, remains closed due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. No date has been set to resume classes and may think the schools will not reopen this school year.

East Color Guard Looks Sharp

The East High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Color Guard presented the flags at the Board of Education Meeting September 24, 2019. Prior to knowing the cadets were from East, this writer noted they looked sharp and presented very well. The reason their school was not known was that they were not wearing the East traditional red and gray shoulder cords and if they were wearing a shoulder patch denoting East it was not noticed. It was a pleasure to learn they were from East High. First Sergeant Eugene Broadus (Retired), an JROTC instructor at East accompanied the cadets to the event as did Principal Newman Robertson, both pictured with the Color Guard after they presented at the meeting.




East High gets top score for achievement
in meeting "Annual Measurable Objectives"

August 17, 2019 - On August 15, the Tennessee Department of Education released its "TNReady assessment results" for the 2018-2019 school year.

East High rated a top level four for academic achievement on a scale of 0-4 but a one on academic growth. It should be noted that the scores are not necessarily based on an absolute evaluation of students' mastery of subject matter but rather on the school's Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO). AMO is a goal set based on the students' previous year level of academics and is set with the expectation that the school will "decrease by half the percent of students whose performance does not meet the standard over the course of eight years."1 The standard referred to means students are  on track to master or have mastered the curriculum's subject matter.

East also rated a one on the same scale for chronic absenteeism. As The East High Alumni Page understands the protocol, that reflects 20.1 to 30% of the students at East in 2019 were designated as chronic absentees, although it must be admitted the definitions are not fully understood. The calculation is apparently shows the "lower bound of confidence interval of percent of chronically absent students < prior year percent of chronically absent students."1

East scored a two on the 0-4 scale for the graduation rate in 2019.1

It got a score of one for the "Ready Graduate" evaluation. "The Ready Graduate indicator measures the percent of students who earn regular high school diploma and meet success milestones that are aligned to increase the probability for post secondary success."1 The rating matches the number of 2019 East High graduates designated as having achieved the ACT College Ready benchmarks: a single student.2

In 2019, East High completed its second year of a four year planned transition to become an all optional (magnet) school. Students in grades 9 and 10 were admitted only by application and meeting certain requirements. (For more details, see our East High T-STEM Optional School page.) Grades 11 and 12 were traditional curriculum students who largely were enrolled at East before the T-STEM program began.

The state Department of Education seems to change its reporting methodology year to year. If anyone with definitive knowledge has a correction to the above analysis, it is welcome. Send it to editor@EastHigh.org

You may read the Tennessee Department of Education's Accountability Protocol at https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/accountability/Accountability_Protocol_2019.pdf

Sources:
1. Tennessee Department of Education
2. East High 2019 Commencement Exercise

One 2019 East High graduate met the ACT "college ready" criteria

July 23, 2019 - On May 22, 2019, the East High School Class of 2019 was graduated. During the commencement ceremonies, the names of students with special honors were called, which consisted of those in the National Honor Society, the top 19 graded students, and those who achieved the ACT "college ready" score of 21 or higher. Notably, of the 89 students graduating, only one met the college ready criteria. Also of interest, that graduate was not among the other honorees and was not the valedictorian or the salutatorian.

A few weeks later, the superintendent of Shelby County Schools was asked at a County Commission budget committee hearing was asked how many of the system's valedictorians achieved the ACT college ready mark. Joris Ray estimated it would be about 54%.

Since the ACT changed its scoring in 1989, and therefore there are East alumni who were scored under the previous matrix, The East High Alumni Page references the ACT concordance which gives the approximate equivalent score between the two groupings. An ACT score of 21 today equates to about a 20 in the pre-1989 ACT score.

The East High Alumni Page favors the ACT as the most reliable measure of academic achievement. It is mandated that every public school student in Tennessee take the ACT in their junior year of high school (and they may take it after that if they wish). That permits comparison among the local schools. Furthermore, the ACT is taken by thousands of students across the nation, permitting further analyzation. Also providing a significant measure of academic progress is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) but it is only given to a limited number of students, schools, and grades across the nation each year.

The Class of 2019 is, if the current plans continues, the next to last of traditional curriculum students at East High. The school is half way through a four year process of converting to an all optional (magnet) school focusing on T-STEM (Transportation related Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). T-STEM students have to apply and meet certain criteria to be admitted to East High. This conversion began with the ninth grade in 2017 and progresses for a grade each year, meaning that with the beginning of the school year in August, 2020, will be all optional students.

East High Has New Principal

May 20, 2019, updated May 22, 2019 - Dr. Newman Robertson has assumed the position of principal of East High School. He was elevated to the principal position in April from an assistant principal job at East. A recent visitor to East reports that students call him Dr. Rob. Robinson got his Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration from the University of Mississippi. He has been with the school system for 14 years. East is his first duty as a principal.

Lischa Barrett (‘91), now Lischa Brooks, remains Executive Principal of East High as well as the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, a middle school. She focuses on the T-STEM program at East while Dr. Robertson primarily gives his attention to the traditional classes.

According to the optional school plan for East, the 2019-2020 school year will have the 12th grade with traditional classes while grades 9-11 will be populated by the T-STEM (Transportation oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum.

   Dr. Marilyn Hilliard, principal at East since the summer of 2015, has taken the role of principal of the Virtual School operated by Shelby County Schools.

Indications of Improvements at East High

May 8, 2019 - Shelby County Schools will tomorrow report improvements in attendance, reductions in chronic absences, and fewer expulsions since the beginning of the T-STEM conversion last year.

Measure
2015-16
2016-17 2017-18
2018-19
Attendance Rate
88.4%
86.0% 92.5% 92.3%
Chronic Absenteeism
43.4% 51.6%
23.8% 24.9%
Exclusionary Suspension Rate
15.6%
20.6%
5.5%
5.6%

In 2017-2018, the ninth grade at East became an all optional program focusing on Transportation related Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) requiring students to apply and meet certain criteria to be accepted (see reports below). For 2018-2019, that program expanded to include both the ninth and tenth grades. It will continue to expand by a grade the next two years at which time the entire school will be a T-STEM optional school. The figures being presented to the Board of Education Academic Performance committee tomorrow may indicate the T-STEM students are taking their schooling more seriously.  It should be noted that the school system has attempted to reduce out of school suspensions, so the reduction in the exclusionary suspension rate may be a combination of better behavior and discipline methods other than out of school suspensions.

State Report Card Uses 2017 ACT Scores

December 10, 2018 - The East High Alumni Page considers ACT scores as the best evaluation of academic performance at high schools (see why) and was waiting anxiously for the 2018 scores. The Tennessee Department of Education released various evaluation statistics piecemeal in 2018 but the school level ACT scores were held until the full school report card was released in early December, 2018. Very unfortunately for anyone attempting to evaluate academic achievement and  despite it having been more than six months since the ACT tests were taken, the department chose to release the 2017 scores with the 2018 school report card. This site had already had reported the 2017 ACT scores in October, 2017.


2018 Graduation Rate Slips

October 19, 2018 - East High achieved a 77.2% graduation rate for the 2017-2018 school year, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. The state's figures base the rate on a ninth grade cohort of 114 pupils of which 88 were graduated.

The percentage is a decrease from the 2017 rate which was 79.7%. In 2016 it was 76.1%.

The figures also give demographic information for the graduates. It indicates that 51 were female and 37 male, all 88 classified as Black or African American, one of which apparently also identifies as Hispanic. Seventy-one were considered economically disadvantaged.

The ACT scores, which The East High Alumni Page considers among the most important evaluations, should be released soon. This year the Department of Education is releasing school data piecemeal. A report on the End of Course test results for 2018 is below
.

T-STEM Classes End of Course
Test Results

September 8, 2018 - Evaluating the attempt to return East High to academic excellence (as well as reasonable enrollment figures) during the transition of one grade at a time to the optional T-STEM program largely depends on the results of the End of Course (EOC) testing. For the 2017-2018 school year, only the ninth grade was optional-only T-STEM. End of Course figures for the entire high school (grades 9-12) were available here earlier, now we have EOC scores for the 9th grade only. This chart compares the East High full high school scores to the 9th grade EOC scores. Of course, the classes the students take in different grades often are different, so perhaps while valuable these comparisons are not direct. For a comparison of the full high school figures to those of some other high schools in the county, see our previous report.

East High Grades 9-12 & 9th Grade Only
End of Course Test Scores

Course:  ENGLISH
2018 mastered or on-track
Grades 9-12        
22.3%                 
Grade 9 (only)
English 1     45.5 % 

Course: MATH
2018 mastered or on-track
Grades 9-12  6.8%                   
Grade 9 (only)
Algebra 1   14.8%
Algebra 2   50 % 
          Geometry     25%               

Course:  SCIENCE
2018 mastered or on-track
Grades 9-12  24.7%                   
Grade 9 (only)
Biology    79.1%               

"How one Memphis school is grappling to attract high-achieving students while also educating those left behind

"When parent and longtime Binghampton resident Lee Evans heard about the plan last year to require students to take a test to enroll at the iconic East High School, he didn't understand why that meant some students in the neighborhood could not attend.
   "Evans, an alumnus, worried they would drop out if they couldn't attend East. He also worried the neighborhood would lose its longstanding connection with the school."
Read the article: Chalkbeat, Aug. 31, 2018

2018 End of Course Results
for East High

August 21, 2018 - The Tennessee Department of Education has released a limited amount of information about the 2018 End of Course test aggregated scores for individual schools.  While these scores may prove somewhat useful in evaluating the academic performance at the school, The East High Alumni Page believes the metric that provides the best evaluation of a school's performance is the ACT score. ACT information has not yet been made available to the public in the 2018 reports. It should also be noted that there were problems with on-line testing in 2018 which caused delays in taking the test and reversion to paper tests in some cases. The disruption was such that the state decided not to use the scores in teacher evaluation if it would negatively affect that evaluation. Educators have suggested the problems with the testing could have also affected the students' performance negatively.

For East High, about the only category reported is that of students that are considered to have mastered the course material or are on track. Mastered means "Performance at this level demonstrates that the student has an extensive understanding and expert ability to apply the ...  [course] knowledge and skills as defined by the Tennessee Academic Standards. On-track means "Performance at this level demonstrates that the student has a comprehensive understanding and thorough ability to apply the ...  [course] knowledge and skills as defined by the Tennessee Academic Standards.

You will see that several of the numbers are lower for 2018 than 2017. Educators often say standards are higher and the course material is more rigorous, which led to lower scores as compared to previous years.

That said, here are the some of East High 2018 End of Course information provided by the state and a comparison with other high performing public high schools in the county. You may ask why the comparison is for the higher performing schools in the county. It is because East High at one time was one of the very highest academic performing schools and the district is making efforts to restore it to a high performing school. The figures below are for "all students" for whom the tests were considered valid.


Course:
ENGLISH
2018 mastered or
on-track
2017 mastered or
on -track
East        
22.3%                 
10.1%
White Station
48.3%                 
50.3%
Collierville High
42.4%                   
62.4%
Houston High
50.9%                   
71.5%

Course:
MATH
2018 mastered or
on-track
2017 mastered or
on -track
East        
6.8%                   
not reported
White Station
32.5%                   
31.9%
Collierville High
39.0%                   
49.5%
Houston High
37.2%                   
55.0%

Course:
SCIENCE
2018 mastered or
on-track
2017 mastered or
on -track
East        
24.7%                   
20.9%
White Station
55.3%                   
63.5%
Collierville High
54.7%                   
82.0%
Houston High
68.7%                   
89.2%

Course:
U.S. HISTORY
2018 mastered or
on-track
2017 mastered or
on -track
East        
10.3%                   
7.1%
White Station
28.7%                   
34.8%
Collierville High
31.3%                   
56.7%
Houston High
52.2%                   
65.2%

All of the August, 2018, publicly released East High School End of Course information broken out from the full state list, including subgroup evaluations, can be see here (in a spreadsheet format).
The entire state End of Course results as released by the state can be accessed at the Tennessee Department of Education web site (this is in the csv format).
Academic "Growth"
The state also attempts to measure a student's growth in addition to their achievement. with the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). It measures student growth year over year, regardless of whether the student is proficient on the state assessment. In calculating a TVAAS score, a student's performance is compared relative to the performance of his or her peers who have performed similarly on past assessments.

There are five levels of TVASS. Levels 4 and 5 mean that students aggregated growth is above that expected for the school year, level 3 means that the growth was at the expected level, and levels 1 and 2 mean it was below the expected level. Level 5 reflects the most (best) growth and level 1 the least (worst).

It is important to remember that growth is different than achievement (or proficiency).  Growth can be excellent yet the achievement of the students can be well below proficient. Eventually, if growth remains above level 3 and a student has enough time in school, one would expect the achievement to improve to proficient levels.

Overall, East was rated as having the expected one year academic growth in the measured subjects. But that is an average, some classes did not do that well while others did much better.

Here are the 2018 TVAAS scores for East High:
Algebra I      Level 5
Algebra II     Level 1
Biology I       Level 3
Chemistry     Level 1
English I        Level 5
English II       Level 2
English III      Level 3
Geometry      Level 1
US History    Level 5

In the various categories, as well as overall, here is how the 2018 TVAAS calculations for East High came out:
Overall Composite Literacy Composite Numeracy Composite Literacy &  Numeracy Composite Science Composite Social Studies Composite
3 4 1 2 3 5

East High again mentioned in article about the new $92-million Collierville High School

   "[Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey] Hopson has been calling for larger and probably fewer high schools than legacy Memphis City Schools historically had to give students the same opportunities Aitken spoke of for Collierville.
   "Hopson's most recent discussions have been around making a renewed East High School the leading edge of that change...
   "SCS board member Miska Clay-Bibbs says Collierville High and the still general plans for East High School are a critical point in the shift. And the cost is part of the discussion.
   "'You think about maybe the possible sportsplex at East High School and you think about an investment in every high school so that it attracts students in that way and makes them feel good. That's costs money,' she said. " Memphis Daily News, Aug. 9/10, 2018

Day One
New school year sees historic changes shift to putting down roots

"The 1948 school year opened in September instead of August. A new campus near the outskirts of must have drawn similar attention.
   East High School opened with a capacity of 2,000 students, up from the original plans for an enrollment of 1,500. It was not quite complete on the first day, according to a history of East on the East High Alumni Page, www.easthigh.org, and added grades over the years until it was a full high school in 1950. The next year it was over capacity at 2,100 students, leading to construction of a nine-room annex.
   The school year that began Monday marks the second academic year for the four-year conversion of East from a conventional school with an attendance zone to a citywide T-STEM school – a science, technology, engineering and math curriculum with applications toward transportation uses of all kinds." Memphis Daily News, Aug. 6, 2018

Class of 2018 Graduates 89 New Alumni

May 19, 2018-The East High Class of 2018 was graduated this morning in ceremonies First Baptist Church—Broad, on Broad Avenue. Principal Marilyn Hilliard announced that 89 seniors met the qualifications for the diploma. A total of $3.5 million in scholarships was offered to the class collectively. Nine graduates were offered "institutional" scholarships while 19 were offered state Hope scholarships and 39 can take advantage of the Tennessee Promise scholarship program.

Cummins, FedEx, U of M launching global tech program at East's T-STEM Academy

January 2, 2018
By Elle Perry  –  Digital Producer, Memphis Business Journal

Cummins Inc. is bringing a global program to a Memphis high school, marking a first for the company.

Cummins currently has 22 Technical Education for Communities [TEC] sites around the globe, though none are currently located within the U.S. But, on Thursday, that will change as the company and its more than 10 local partners sign a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the official launch of the initiative at T-STEM Academy East High School.

Read more at the Memphis Business Journal web site.
There is also a Commercial Appeal article about the same subject.

A Closer Look at the 2017 ACT
Scores at East High

October 12, 2017 - As this publication reported yesterday (see below), the Tennessee Department of Education released ACT scores for the 2016-2017 school year this week. All juniors in public high schools in Tennessee are required to take postsecondary readiness assessment such as the ACT or SAT. It appears the ACT is the test provided by the state. Students may take it additional times prior to graduation if they think they can score higher but at their own cost unless other programs will bear that burden. If a student misses taking the ACT as a junior, the state provides the opportunity for the pupil to take it without cost to him/her their senior year. With a 95% participation rate, East's 2017 composite ACT score improved by nine tenths of a point. Each year, The East High Alumni Page compares East's scores with other leading high schools in the county. Those 2017 composite ACT scores are shown below.

White Station
23.7

Collierville
24.4
Houston High
25.5

East
16.6

A "college and career ready" composite score would be about 21.3. As demonstrated by the table above, East is substantially below that mark and even further behind the leading academic public high schools in the county.

Why ACT? Why does The East High Alumni Page compare East's scores with the leading area high schools? It is done because East High once was once among the leading academic high schools in the region. Furthermore, the Shelby County School district is making major efforts to increase East's academic performance as well as its enrollment by transitioning it over a four year period to an all class T-STEM optional (magnet) school (see our STEM page for details). As noted below, The East High Alumni Page believes the ACT is the most reliable evaluation of academic performance and permits the most valid annual comparison among schools, among states, and between/among various years. (Note: the 16.6 average composite ACT score for East in 2017 corresponds roughly to an ACT score of 13 in tests administered before 1989).

The state reports that at East High the 2017 composite scores had 10.8%  scoring 21 or higher and 77.5% below 19. The scores are based on 120 "valid tests" taken by East students.

The ACT reports scores in four core subject areas. Here are the average scores for 2017 by East students and the corresponding marks designated as "college and career ready" by the ACT.
 
Subject
East Score
ACT College & Career Ready
English
15.4
18
Math
16.5
22
Reading
16.6
22
Science
17.1
23

The college and career ready scores are selected to estimate "the minimum ACT college readiness assessment scores required for students to have a high
probability of success in credit-bearing college courses." It should be noted that some Shelby County School administrators have said they believe the college readiness scores can give a false impression that a student that does not achieve these scores will necessarily not do well in college.

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson has repeatedly said one of the reasons many SCS schools have poor academic performance is because some 40,000 of its students come from homes with annual incomes of $20,000 or less and the associated dynamics of poverty. For the ACT test takers at East High included in the 2017, 77 (64%) were categorized as economically disadvantaged.


East ACT Composite Score Rises
Nearly a Point
October 11, 2017 - First Glance: Average composite ACT score at East rises almost a full point.

The 2016-2017 average composite ACT score at East was 16.6. Last year it was 15.7.

While this is a fairly significant improvement, it still is far below the "college ready" level. For those who took the ACT test before 1989, this corresponds to about a 13 on the old test.

The East High Alumni Page believes the ACT scores are the best measure of academic achievement. While there are conditions and exceptions, this measurement allows comparison among years and schools, both locally and nationwide.

As has been reported here, the Tennessee Department of Education is releasing selective academic testing results piecemeal this year prior to the full "state report card" on schools.

The East High Alumni Page will report further on the ACT results shortly.


East High's 2017 Graduation Rate Edges Up
September 22, 2017 - The Tennessee Department of Education is providing data from the 2016-2017 school year  piecemeal. Eventually it will be consolidated in to the traditional "report card."

One of the statistics released in mid-September is the 2017 graduation rate for East High School. For all students, the state calculates the graduation rate for East High at 79.7% in 2017. The previous year the number was 76.1%.

For all public schools in Tennessee, the graduation rate in 2017 was 89.1%.

The local schools The East High Alumni Page uses for comparisons and their rates:

Central                89.7%
White Station      85.1%
Houston              92.8%
Collierville           94.5%

For graduation rate purposes, the state begins tracking students when they enter the ninth grade (the cohort).  They have the four years plus the summer term after their senior year to earn a diploma to be counted as graduated in these statistics.

The Tennessee Department of Education provided breakdown among various groups at East:

subgroup cohort grad_count grad_rate
All Students
158 126 79.7
Black or African American 153 124 81
Black/Hispanic/Native American 156 125 80.1
Economically Disadvantaged 96 78
81.2
Hispanic 3

Non-Economically Disadvantaged 62
48 77.4
Non-English Learners
158 126 79.7
Non-Students with Disabilities 131 107 81.7
Students with Disabilities 27 19 70.4
Super Subgroup 157 125 79.6
White 2



Although it is not immediately explained with the chart, presumably the categories that are blank in the above statistics represent the number zero.
   
For all high schools in the Shelby County School district, the graduation rate for all students was 79.6%.                 



It Begins: East High's transition to an all optional school started with classes today!
August 7, 2017 - Ninth graders at East are now all in the T-STEM program. Classes began at 8:15 this morning. About a dozen students were seen entering the west entrance of the T-STEM building in the 20 minutes prior to the start of school. As of Friday, the school system said 90 children had registered for the ninth grade at East out of the 100 expected to participate in the T-STEM program. Additional registrations could be expected over the weekend and possibly in the next few days. Read more about the transition on our Consolidated Page of Reports on the East High STEM Optional Program.

East High announces an Alumni Breakfast
East High administrators will host an alumni breakfast April 22 to impart information about the changes at the school as it transitions to an optional only T-STEM (transportation oriented science, technology, engineering, and math) school. RSVP is needed by April 18. See the announcement's flyer for details.

East High's Executive Principal
To Divide Time Between East
and Smith STEAM Academy

Exclusive by The East High Alumni Page
March 19, 2017 - Lischa Barrett ('91), now Lischa Brooks, was appointed Executive Principal of East High School February 20...What was not clear was that Barrett would be executive principal of both East and the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy... Read more...

Getting to Know East High's New
Executive Principal
Who is Lischa Barrett Brooks and
what was her path to her new job at East?
Exclusive by The East High Alumni Page
March 12, 2017 - Lischa Barrett ('91 and Faculty), now Lischa Brooks, thought she was going to be a medical doctor. One of her majors in college was pre-med but she eventually pursued another career. Now she is being called upon to heal an ailing East High School.
Read more ...


New East High Executive Principal
Did Not Apply For Job

School will have a "fresh start,"
with all teachers having to apply
for positions at East

February 28, 2017 - Lischa Barrett Brooks ('91) was in her third year as founding principal of the Maxine Smith STEM Academy. Under her leadership, test scores became among the best in the district for a middle school. Apparently she had a good thing going at the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy and presumably she saw no reason to leave that school.
Read our exclusive report on her selection and plans for a "fresh start" for faculty appointments for East High.



Executive Principal Named for East High
to Lead School into T-STEM Program

February 24, 2017- Lischa T. Barrett Brooks ('91) is the new "executive principal" of East High School, having been appointed to lead the 68 year old school into a new era as a T-STEM (Transportation oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) optional only (magnet) school. The appointment was made February 20 and was effective immediately.
Read more ....



Watch a School District Video about East High's Forthcoming T-STEM Program

Shelby County Schools has produced a video about East High's Transportation-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Match (T-STEM) optional school to which East is converting starting with the ninth grade in August, 2017. This video is primarily about and from the T-STEM open house held at East High January 18, 2017.  Watch via YouTube
You can also read the associated news release produced by the school district here.

Again: Administration Skips Updating Board on East STEM Progress
Once again, on January 31, the Shelby County Schools administration decided not to discuss the East High STEM project at the Board of Education meeting. For about two months top administration officials have said East STEM would be brought up before the board but then has decided not to do so. The East High Alumni Page has tried to keep alumni informed based on the information provided by those top administrators but obviously it has been misleading. That result is regretted.

A page consolidating all of the significant stories about East High being transformed into a STEM Optional School is now available for your convenience in keeping up with the major development for East High. See East STEM

Additional Considerations Regarding East High STEM
January 24, 2017 - While no board member opposition is expected to the plan to transform East High School into a fully optional T-STEM (Transportation oriented Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math focused) school over the next four years, there may well be some concerns about where children who live in the current East High attendance zone will be assigned next year.
   For those living in the East attendance zone, only ninth graders next year will be assigned to another school. Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students will continue at East for the 2017-2018 school year. The next year, ninth and tenth graders not in the East optional programs will be assigned elsewhere, in 2019-2020 all but the senior class will be assigned elsewhere. The plan calls for East to be completely an optional school in 2020-2021.
   Tentative thoughts on the assignment of ninth graders for the 2017-2018 school year are that they will be zoned into either Douglass High or Melrose High.
   There could also be some discussion of renaming East High to something else but with the name "East" incorporated into it. Top administration officials have said they like the name as it is, "East High School," but at least one board member has suggested a name change might help market the new school curriculum. Source: The East High Alumni Page

First Substantive Look at East High T-STEM Program Afforded At Open House
While indicating plans are still flexible, Shelby County Schools (SCS) has revealed the most about the forthcoming T-STEM (Transportation oriented Science, Technical, Engineering, Math) optional school to which East High is to be transitioned beginning with the fall semester this year. An open house for parents and others interested in the East High T-STEM optional school was held January 18. Read much more...

East High STEM Plan Next Steps

January 12, 2017 - The East High Alumni Page has spoken with the administration of Shelby County Schools about the status of the East High STEM proposal.
    The SCS administration expects to implement the plan effective with the start of the 2017-2018 school year barring unexpected opposition. It is believed that the members of the Board of Education support the plan. While there may be some opposition by those who currently live in the East High attendance zone, since they or their children might have to attend another school, the administration does not expect any such opposition to derail the proposal.   
    The plan is expected to be discussed at the January 24, 2017, Board of Education Work Session which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Coe building Auditorium, 160 South Hollywood Street, Memphis. No votes are taken and members of the public are not permitted to speak to the board at the Work Session.
    The administration does not plan to bring up the East STEM proposal at the Board of Education "business meeting" which begins at 5:30 p.m.  January 31. The administration believes, as most observers do, that the proposal to transition East High into a STEM optional school does not require a vote of the board. Votes of the board are taken at the business meeting sessions and the public is also allowed a limited opportunity to speak to the board members during the business meeting. Members of the public wishing to speak at the business meeting must sign up before the meeting begins. A sign up sheet is available from about 5 to 5:30 p.m.
    The administration does not propose to change the name of East High, at least initially. There has been some discussion among board members previously about altering the name if the STEM proposal is implemented.
    As reported elsewhere on these pages, the East High STEM proposal calls for the transition to occur year by year, grade by grade, beginning with the ninth grade in 2017. The administration foresees the probability of East having two principals during the transition phase, one for the STEM students and one for the traditional students. In an earlier post here, it was disclosed a job opportunity posting has been issued by the school district for a principal of East High to oversee the school as "a local, regional, and national model focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in Transportation Based Careers (T-STEM)." Also previously reported here, the district has published an estimate that there will be 100 seats available for students in the ninth grade STEM program at East beginning with the fall semester, 2017.
    For more background, follow the links in the above story and those below to additional links to some of the previously published stories.

"Transforming East High School into one of the most high performing high schools"

Handful Hear a Few New Details About East STEM proposal

Decision on "Hyper Underperforming" East High School Needed Soon - Transition would mean many changes

Done deal? - Plan east transition to all optional stem school called official


Update on STEM Reports
East STEM Principal
Job Opening Posted

January 10, 2017-Neither the Commercial Appeal nor the Memphis Daily News has picked up on the Chalkbeat story that the decision to convert East High to a STEM optional only school is "official." There could be several reasons having nothing to do with the facts of the story but it is notable. That said, the school district has posted an a job opening notice for a principal for East High School with the focus of  "a local, regional, and national model focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in Transportation Based Careers (T-STEM)," which is what the conversion proposal entails. It also says, "our District is opening the STEM Academy at East High School."

    January 9, 2017 - Shelby County Schools has listed its estimate of 100 open seats for ninth grade students in the STEM optional program. This conforms to the plan to convert East High to a fully STEM optional school grade by grade over the next four school years. As we have reported, brochures for the optional school program were to be sent to the printer in December, necessitating a decision at some level and some degree of confidence about what was to be East High's future. The decision has been referred to here as to whether a vote by the school board was "needed/requested," because it would not appear such a vote would be required. The superintendent, however, has on numerous occasions asked the school board for its sense on matters for which a board vote has not been require. Whether that still will occur in the East High STEM case or not is not yet known. In reference to the conversion plan, a top Shelby County School District administrator, however, told The East High Alumni Page some time ago that "we're going to do it."


PLAN EAST TRANSITION TO
ALL OPTIONAL STEM SCHOOL
CALLED OFFICIAL

January 7, 2017 - Chalkbeat Tennessee reports, "It's official. Big changes coming to historic Memphis East High School."  The report by the on-line education news source appears to be based on the school district's including the East High STEM conversion in its list of optional schools to have been promoted at a school district optional schools information event January 8. Click on the link below to read more.
Chalkbeat, Jan 7.
Update from The East High Alumni Page: January 9, 2017 - Shelby County Schools has listed its estimate of 100 open seats for ninth grade students in the STEM optional program. This conforms to the plan to convert East High to a fully STEM optional school grade by grade over the next four school years. As we have reported, brochures for the optional school program were to be sent to the printer in December, necessitating a decision at some level and some degree of confidence about what was to be East High's future. The decision has been referred to here as to whether a vote by the school board was "needed/requested," because it would not appear such a vote would be required. The superintendent, however, has on numerous occasions asked the school board for its sense on matters for which a board vote has not been require. Whether that still will occur in the East High STEM case or not is not yet known. In reference to the conversion plan, a top Shelby County School District administrator, however, told The East High Alumni Page some time ago that "we're going to do it."


2016 East High Academic Report Card

December 14, 2016 - The Tennessee Department of Education in mid December 2016 has released its "report card" on state schools.

The East High Alumni Page in the past and continues to believe the most relevant measure is the ACT score. It is believed the ACT permits reasonable comparisons among various years as well as among various schools. In Tennessee, every high school junior is required to take the ACT test, as are juniors in 15 other states.

East High's 2016 ACT average composite ACT score is 15.7, which is up a half a point from 2015. It correlates to an ACT score of about 12 on the pre-1989 ACT test.

As The East High Alumni Page has pointed out previously, East was among the top academically achieving schools in the region in its first 25 years of operation. After that, academic achievement began to slip. It has not been as high achieving since, although there certainly have been some successes at the school during periods of the past four decades. In recent years, the three top public high schools locally with the highest marks have been White Station, Houston, and Collierville. Collierville is now part of its own school district, Houston High is now part of the Germantown school district, and White Station is part of the large Shelby County School system, as is East High, and about 50% of the White Station student population is enrolled in its college preparatory optional program. Here are the composite ACT scores for the class scheduled to have graduated in 2016:
White Station
23.2

Collierville
24.6
Houston
24.9

East
15.7

The average ACT composite score for all high schools in the Shelby County school system was 17.5.

The ACT establishes "college ready" benchmark. It does not appear the web published 2016 statistics for individual schools includes this indicator. Instead, the state report card gives a percentage of students in the 2016 graduating class getting a 21 or higher ACT composite score, which is one of the requirements for a student to qualify for a HOPE scholarship. The HOPE scholarship provides scholarship and grant assistance to Tennesseans attending eligible Tennessee postsecondary institutions. The percentages of 2016 graduating class ACT composite scores meeting the 21 or higher mark for the comparison schools are:
White Station
60.7%

Collierville
78.5%
Houston
80.5%

East
7.5%


Graduation rates for 2016 at the schools being used for comparison here are:

White Station
85.9%

Collierville
92.4%
Houston
94.4%

East
76.1%

The 2016 graduation rate for all high schools in the Shelby County school system was 78.7%.

Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson has repeatedly said one of the issues affecting academic performance is the level of poverty within Shelby County and the students attending his school district. The percentage of students with disabilities may also help one understand the scores in context. For the schools we are using for comparison those figures are below.

School
total students
% disadvantaged
% with disabilities
East
561
68.3
13.9
White Station
2,201
25.6
8.3
Collierville
2,304
6.1
12.7
Houston
1,893
3.9
8.5

You can find the state's full report from the Dept. of Education web site.


East High STEM Decision
Delayed Until January
A Shelby County School District senior official has told The East High Alumni Page that the discussion by the Board of Education and the decision to move forward with converting East High to a STEM optional school has been delayed until the Board's January meetings. The administration's proposal to close two elementary schools and build 3 new schools apparently is the cause of the delay. Board meetings may be heard live on radio station WQOX, 88.5 FM and viewed on Memphis Comcast Cable Channel  19.  Coverage from those sources may also be streamed on the Internet from http://voiceofscs.com/

Very Small Gathering Hear a Few New Details at Second General Public Information  Session on Proposal to convert East High to a STEM Optional School
November 22, 2016 - There was a decidedly different atmosphere at the "info session" about the proposal to make East High an optional only STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) high school at a very poorly attended public meeting at First Baptist Church Broad November 22. There was nary a negative opinion of the plan to convert East into a high achievement STEM school, very much unlike a similar session held at East October 17...


"Info Session for East High School Alumni And Community" for November 22 announced by Shelby County Schools
SCS will hold the meeting at First Baptist Church Broad, 2835 Broad Avenue, Tuesday, November 22 at 6 p.m. As you will read below, the administration of Shelby County Schools is proposing to make East High an optional only STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) school beginning with the 9th grade next school year. They say East is on a trend in poor academics and low enrollment to be closed or taken over by the state and instead they want to make East a high achievement school. A public discussion about the proposal was held at East in October with mostly teachers, alumni, and some parents attending. At that meeting and subsequently, Board of Education member Teresa Jones promised more public meetings before a decision is made. This appears to be one of those meetings. The Board is schedule to discuss among itself the issue at its November 29 "work session," and if a vote is needed/requested, to vote at its December 6 meeting. No public comment is allowed at the work session but there is a public comment period at the December 6 meeting. Those Board of Education meetings will be at the SCS administration building (see map) at 160 S. Hollywood at 5:30 p.m.

Initial OK on Making East a
STEM Optional School
Discussion November 29
If Board Vote is Asked, Expected December 6
Confirmed by Top Administrator

November 13, 2016 - A top Shelby County School administrator confirms that the Shelby County Board of Education will be asked to consider on November 29 giving the school district the initial OK to proceed with planning to make East High a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) optional only school with a four year transition beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. If a resolution or other vote by the Board of Education is needed, it would come at its December 6, 2016, meeting. No votes are taken at the November "work session" of the board and public comments are not taken at that meeting.
The December 6 "business meeting" is where items discussed during the work session, and added items, are voted upon. It is also where 30 minutes are set aside for members to speak to the public, with a maximum of 3 minutes for each speaker. If more than 10 speakers sign up, the amount of time for each is reduced accordingly. Speakers must sign up to speak during the half hour period prior to the 5:30 meeting.
Board member Teresa Jones has said there will be additional public meetings for parents, community, and alumni to have further input on the proposal before a final decision is made. Such additional meetings have not yet been scheduled, according to the Shelby County Schools calendar posted on its web site. It is entirely possible such a meeting or meetings could occur after the preliminary decision is made.
Link to address & map of location of the Board of Education meetings
See additional stories below.


Decision on "Hyper Underperforming"
East High School Needed Soon

Transition would mean many changes
Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson says a decision from the school board on whether to proceed with his proposal to transition East High into a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focused optional school needs to be made within the next month... The superintendent said the easiest way to transition East would be to close it as a traditional school and then reopen it as a fully STEM school but because of tradition and allowing current students to finish at their school, the grade by grade transition would be preferable. He said there was plenty of space to, in essence, be running two schools within the building.
Read much more...

East High STEM to be Discussed
Tuesday, Oct. 25

Oct. 24, 2016 - The Academic Performance Committee of the Shelby County Board of Education will discuss the East High STEM proposal and community reaction to it at an Oct. 25 meeting at 4pm at the SCS Administration Building (160 S. Hollywood).
The Academic Performance Committee will report on its meeting to the full board during the board's business session beginning at 5:30 at SCS Administration building, Coe auditorium. Further discussion may occur at the full board meeting.
There is the opportunity for public comment before the board begins considering items on its agenda and there may be comments about East High. If you would like to speak, you need to sign up between 5 and 5:30. There could be a number of speakers on various subjects, so the time allocated to each speaker may be very limited. The maximum would be 3 minutes.


Initial Public Meeting on
Future of East High School As a
STEM Optional School
Parents and Public Offer Resistance to Plan

October 17, 2016 - The top academic officers of the Shelby County School system along with the Board of Education member in whose district East High sits tonight met with about 60 people comprising a few current East High students, a contingent of perhaps 25 alumni of the school, about a dozen East teachers, the remainder were parents and guardians of current students, and a few concerned members of the larger Memphis community. It appeared the largest group were alumni. Read more...


Top Administrators of School District
to Listen to Public & Parents
on East High's Future October 17


October 13, 2016 - It is believed the top academic administrators of the Shelby County School district will be at the Monday, October 17, 5:30 p.m. meeting at East High to hear what the public and parents have to say about the proposal to convert East High into a STEM magnet school. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. East High's academic performance has been well below the "college and career ready" benchmarks for many years and in the past couple enrollment has dwindled to about 550 pupils. The school was originally designed for about 1500 students and a second building was added in the 1970s as a Vo-Tech center adding another 500 to the overall capacity. With the low enrollment and poor academic performance, East High has been described by SCS as on a trend that would lead to it being a target to be closed.
But East High is also described as an "iconic" school, it has a very rich history of a top academic school not only in the city but in the entire region during its first 20-25 years after opening in 1948. That, along with its central location, $12-million renovation a decade ago, and already housing the school district's high school STEM lab for students in the virtual STEM program, administrators are working to not only save the school but restore its luster. The proposal is to make it a STEM optional (magnet) school serving students from all over the district who have the interest, grades, and conduct to be accepted. Superintendent Dorsey Hopson last year said that the planned date for the revised curriculum would be the start of the 2017-2018 school year.
 The top echelon of academic administrators for the school district are likely to be at Monday's meeting, probably including Hopson, Chief Academic Officer Hedi Ramirez, Director of Optional Schools Linda Sklar, Innovation Zone Regional Superintendent Sharon Griffin, Curriculum & Instruction STEM Manager Dedric McGhee, and Instructional Leadership Director Brett Lawson. Board of Education member Teresa Jones, in whose voting district East is located, is also expected to attend.

Meeting for the Public on Future
of East High School Oct. 17

October 12, 2016 - It is reported that a meeting will be held at East High School on October 17, 2016, 5:30pm to discuss the future of the school. The meeting is to get opinions of the public. School Board member Teresa Jones, in whose voting district East sits, is expected to attend.
(See the reports below for more information on East's future.)

Plans for East's Future Murkie?
Newspaper: "The plan to turn one of Memphis' most iconic high schools into an optional STEM school has gotten murkier after not making the cut for a federal grant.
"Shelby County Schools did not receive a U.S. Department of Education grant sought to redesign East High School as a magnet school focused on science, technology, engineering and math, a district spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday." (The Commercial Appeal, Oct. 12/13, 2016)
Superintendent Dorsey Hopson has told The East High Alumni Page within the past few weeks that the administration planed to pursue the STEM plans for East regardless of the status of the grant.


"Transforming East High School
into one of the most
high performing high schools"


September 28, 2016 - Fifty and sixty years ago East High School was one of the premier academic public schools in the mid-south region. In more recent decades, East's academic performance has fallen. In the past couple of years, so has attendance. East now has about 550 pupils attending its 9-12 grades. It has been pointed out that the trend in attendance and academic performance, if continued, would put East on the list for possible closure. Instead, the Shelby County School district proposes to address the academics with hopes it will build attendance. At the September 27, 2016, Board of Education meeting, superintendent Dorsey Hopson said he is ready to reveal those plans: "Also want to note for the board two things. We are going to be asking the board to put together or convene, probably in the Academic Performance Committee, a couple of meetings. One, hopefully, late next week so we can update the board on East High School... As you all know we applied for a [federal] magnet [school] grant. We'll know by the thirtieth whether we received the grant but even if we don't receive the grant we still want to begin the process of transforming East High School into one of the most high performing high schools in this state. So we're going to update you on where we are there, the process that we've come up with, and what needs to happen between now and next year to make that happen."
Update: As of Oct. 5, the office of the board members reports no Academic Performance Committee meeting has been scheduled.
(See also related stories below and in the right column.)

Board Endorses Grant Request to Make East a T-STEM optional school
The Shelby County Board of Education voted May 31, 2016, without debate to endorse a grant request to the United States Department of Education "to enhance the programs offered, improve college and career readiness, increase the racial and socio-economic diversity and to eliminate or reduce minority group isolation of students throughout the system by creating a school-wide T-STEM Optional program at East High School." T-STEM stands for Transportation, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).  See the proposal.
While the curriculum for the proposed T-STEM school has not been identified, it would focus on transportation related technologies, although classes that have broader application and/or do not focus on transportation would also be offered.
The DOE grants are said to be highly competitive but at least two rounds of grants under the particular program being offered are expected to occur this summer.
Tentative plans remain to open East High in the late summer of 2017 as a STEM, or T-STEM optional (magnet) school.
As reported previously by The East High Alumni Page, enrollment at East High, both in the traditional classes and the engineering optional classes has decreased dramatically in the past few years. In April, 2016, the pupil count was reported at 554 in the building which was originally designed for at least 1,500 students and since then there has been a second building added to the campus. Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson in May, 2016, said that while East was not at the enrollment level yet to be considered for closing, if the decreased attendance trend continues it could be a candidate for closure in a few years. It is the first time in East's 68 year history the concept of closing East High has been voiced.
Source: The East High Alumni Page



66th Commencement of East High School
One hundred forty-eight students were graduated Sunday, May 22, 2016, when the 66th class of East High received its diplomas in ceremonies at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis. It was the first East graduation for interim principal Dr. Marilyn Hilliard. According to school officials, the senior class received $6.6-million in scholarship and other grant award offers.
For the first time, at least in recent years, there was no guest speaker at the commencement exercise. For the second year in a row, no singing or instrumental rendition of the alma mater was included.



2016-2017 East High Operating Budget & Statistics (as proposed)
Shelby County Schools will present its Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Budget (school year 2016-2017) to the County Commission May 25. This year, the district released individual school spending and statistics. East High is proposed to receive $2,447,321 from the general fund, have 16 classroom teachers for a pupil population of 552, and a teacher-student ratio of 1:33. The budget is subject to revision for numerous reasons, including how much the County Commission votes to fund. See the chart.
The East High Alumni Page cannot help but notice how close the FY17 operating budget figure is to the amount it cost to build the school originally ($2,485,397.07).

State Report: East Academics
Remain Low in 2014-2015

There were only a few relatively bright spots in the state report card, released October 22, 2015, on East High School for the 2014-2015 school year. Overall, academic growth of the students was below expectations, ACT scores remained low, the graduation level was below target. In two academic subjects, students did meet or exceed their academic growth expectations.

ACT - The Tennessee Department of Education reports the 2014-2015 overall ACT composite score for East High School students was 15.2. That corresponds to about an 11.2 on the pre-1989 ACT scoring matrix. All juniors in Tennessee public high schools are required to take the ACT.

The East High Alumni Page considers the ACT the primary comparison measure of academic achievement. It is the one score that can be compared to other schools locally and nationally and also over time. There are, however, limitations affecting such comparisons. For example, in other years and in other states not every student may take the ACT. Low performing students may not have taken it, which would skew the results for a school or district higher than it otherwise would be. It is also possible, especially in decades past, that academically accelerated students might opt not to take the ACT and instead took the SAT. Their not having taken the ACT would skew the overall results for a school or district lower. It should also be noted that average ACT scores of all students includes those with disabilities and those who are English language learners. Decades ago, the ACT was a voluntary test, perhaps taken only by those expecting to go to college, which would likely skew the results somewhat higher than if every student took it.  Nevertheless, The East High Alumni Page highlights the average ACT composite score as the benchmark for time and place comparisons.

The 2014-2015 average ACT composite score at East High of 15.2 appears to be lower than it had been in at least 15 years (see chart below).
Year
ACT  Composite


Approximate Pre-1989 ACT Corresponding Score
2015
15.2


11
2014
15.67


12
2013 15.92

12
2012
16.0


12
2011
15.09


11
2010
16.2


12
2009
15.7


12
2008
15.8


12
2007
16.8


13
2006
16.8


13
2005
16.5


13
2004
16.6


13
2003*
16.5*


14
2001*
16.9*


14
2000
16.8


14
The 2014-2015 composite ACT score for all Shelby County School District schools was 16.9.

Unlike the first 25 years or so of East High's operation, East High has not been among the top academically achieving schools in the region in decades. The three top schools locally with the highest marks in recent years have been White Station, Houston, and Collierville. Here are their composite ACT scores for 2015:
White Station
22.5

Collierville
24.0
Houston
24.1

East
15.2

The ACT establishes "college ready" benchmark scores that it says indicate a student has a 50% chance of obtaining a grade of B or higher or a 75% chance of obtaining a grade of C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first year college courses. During this school year, the results of East's ACT showed the following percentages being "college ready."
All 4 subject areas 1%

English
22%
Math
5%

Reading
9%
Science
4%




It should also be remembered that East is an optional school for engineering and health sciences. It would not be an unreasonable expectation that math and science scores would be higher for such an optional school. As we have reported, however, enrollment in the optional programs at East has been very low in recent years.

Perhaps it should also be noted here that for more than ten years, the Peer Power Foundation (formerly known as The Greater East High Foundation) has offered free (to the students being  tutored) tutoring at East. The foundation has reported successful academic achievement among its participants. Pupils taking advantage of the free tutoring have generally been in the range of one hundred or fewer each year.

HOPE Scholarships - The state report appears to show that only nine students, or 6.4% of East High students tested, met Hope Scholarship eligibility. The HOPE Scholarship was created by Tennessee to provide financial assistance to state residents who are entering college freshmen with a GPA of 3.0 or higher or a 21 or higher composite score on the ACT. It is funded through the state lottery. Despite the state report card numbers, the 2015 East High commencement program lists 30 students with HOPE scholarship offers and 21 students with additional scholarship offers.

TVAAS - Tennessee public schools administer exams in certain subjects which are analyzed to create the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). TVAAS statistically takes a student's past performance into account and projects an expected performance. The state report card aggregates those scores for each school and reports how well the school's students did in comparison to expectations. The ratings are from 1 to 5, with 3 meaning expectations were met and that, essentially, the students learned a years worth of academic material during the school year. Scores higher than 3 indicate results above the predicted level, lower scores mean pupils did not grow academically as much as would be expected during the school year. Subject areas included were Algebra I, Reading, Algebra II, English I, Biology I, Chemistry, English II, Math, and Science. 
Here are East High's results for 2014-2015:
Overall
Level 1
Literacy
Level 2
Numeracy
Level 3
Literacy and Numeracy
Level 2

TVAAS reported that the results were below expectations in Algebra II, Biology I, Chemistry, English III, and Reading, as well as generally in Math and English. Observed results were above expectations in Algebra I and English II. It must be emphasized that TVAAS does not measure the overall academic performance but rather the growth students have compared to their expected growth during a school year. For example, if a D student was expected to again get a grade of D, he/she would have met the TVAAS expectation (a Level 3), yet academically the student would still be doing poorly.

School Profile - The state report gives the October, 2014, enrollment figures for East at 582 pupils in all grades (9-12). The building itself has housed more than 1500 students in decades past. Daily attendance was indicated to be 90.2%. In the 2014-2015 school year, 78.2% of the pupils were considered economically disadvantaged, 13.6% of the enrollees had disabilities. The average per pupil expenditure, based on the Shelby County Schools budget was $11,221.60. Racial statistics indicate 97.8% of those attending East were classified as black or African American.

Graduation Rate - The 2015 graduation rate was 69.1%. During the 2014-2015 year, 7.4% of the pupils dropped out of East High School. The four year cohort dropout rate was 17.7%.



Additional Academic Indicators - Some other academic indicators were
reported earlier (see below), including comparisons with the top academically performing high schools in the area.

East's Future - An interim principal was assigned to East High for the 2014-2015 school year and the superintendent of Shelby County Schools has floated the idea of possibly making East a STEAM high school. STEAM stands for an optional school that emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The administration also indicated the search for a new principal might entail a national search. Both of those ideas are, at last report, being explored but not yet decided upon. You can read about these proposals in greater detail in other articles on The East High Alumni Page.

As is stated every year, the editor of The East High Alumni Page is no expert in statistics or educational analysis. Anyone, especially East alumni, with such expertise who might wish to contribute a greater understanding to these reports is welcome and encouraged to contact editor@EastHigh.org.

You are encouraged to review the state report card yourself at
https://www.tn.gov/education/topic/report-card


Will East High become a STEAM School?
The Shelby County School Board tonight, Sept. 15, 2015, discussed a possible change in focus for East High School. Superintendent Dorsey Hopson asked the board if it would endorse the staff exploring making East a STEAM academy drawing students from across the city. STEAM schools emphasize advanced classes in science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Read our full report on our "In the news ..." section.


East High's New Interim Principal: Dr. Marilyn Hilliard

Dr. Marilyn Hilliard is East High's new interim principal for the 2015-16 school year. Although we are unaware of an official announcement by the superintendent of her name, it is posted on the East High web site and therefore is now public. Hilliard is a ten year employee of the local public school system and has been an assistant principal for the past two years. Read more on our

Hilliard replaces Eric Harris ('91 and principal 2010-2015) as principal at East.

Read more about Dr. Hilliard on our "In the news..." page.


2015 Academic Performance Measurements Released by State
East shows growth in one subject, declines in six others
Overall school academic growth ranked in lowest category


July 29, 2015 (with updates through Aug. 8, 2015) - The Tennessee Department of Education today released district and school level academic performance measurements for 2015 which are shown below. The measurement of growth shows advancement in only one of the seven tested subjects, that being Algebra II. It should be noted, however, despite that bit of growth in proficiency in the one subject over last year's scores, the percentage of Algebra II students rated proficient or above was only 21.8%.

Below the East High figures are those for White Station, Houston, and Collierville High Schools for comparison. In recent years, White Station has been the legacy Memphis City School district's highest performing school. It is important to note that White Station is 50% college preparatory optional school and 50% regular zone school and the numbers you see here combine both of those groups. Most of the high performing students probably are in the optional program at White Station. In recent years, Houston High has been the highest performing school in Shelby County, but this year it appears Collierville just edged slightly higher in overall proficiency. East and White Station are in the Shelby County School District. Houston High is in the suburban Germantown District and Collierville High is in its own Collierville District.

As you can see East High which was a leader regionally in academic performance in the 1950s, 1960s, and part of the 1970s, falls far below these other schools in academic performance. If one sums the percent rated proficient and advanced for each school in all the tested subjects, East is 413.3 percentage points below that of the highest performing Collierville High.

The East High Alumni Page presumes the state will release its annual Report Card on Schools with additional statistical information, including the important ACT scores, in the autumn (typically October or November).

In the tables below are the percentages of students who scored in each proficiency level in 2014-15. "Growth" represents the difference between 2013-14 and 2014-15 in terms of the percentage of students who scored proficient or advanced. The other categories are more or less self explanatory.

East High





Subject %Below Basic %Basic %Proficient %Advanced %Proficient and Advanced Growth
Algebra I 31.3 25.4 29.1 14.2 43.3 -10.8
Algebra II *** *** *** *** 21.8 3.7
Biology I *** *** *** *** 17.4 -14.2
Chemistry *** *** *** *** 9.3 -1.5
English I *** *** *** *** 34.1 -5.1
English II *** *** *** *** 37.1 -6.5
English III *** *** *** *** 10.2 -0.9
White Station High





Algebra I 18.3 24.5 25.5 31.7 57.2 -12.4
57.2
Algebra II 8.0 18.1 33.0 40.9 73.9 11.8
73.9
Biology I 9.4 15.8 47.0 27.8 74.8 5.3
74.8
Chemistry 17.6 21.2 24.5 36.7 61.2 3.7
61.2
English I 6.2 16.1 48.9 28.8 77.7 -3.5
77.7
English II *** *** *** *** 76.7 -0.6
76.7
English III 14.1 30.2 30.2 25.5 55.7 2.8
55.7
Houston High







Algebra I *** *** *** *** 84.8 8.2
84.8
Algebra II *** *** *** *** 84.5 9.0
84.5
Biology I *** *** *** *** 88.9 4.7
88.9
Chemistry 5.4 15.9 36.8 41.9 78.7 14.0
78.7
English I *** *** *** *** 90.8 1.7
90.8
English II *** *** *** *** 87.7 2.1
87.7
English III *** *** *** *** 70.9 -1.2
70.9
Collierville High







Algebra I *** *** *** *** 87.3 0.4
87.3
Algebra II *** *** *** *** 85.9 5.1
85.9
Biology I *** *** *** *** 87.5 2.9
87.5
Chemistry *** *** *** *** 80.8 11.6
80.8
English I *** *** *** *** 92.4 4.8
92.4
English II *** *** *** *** 86.3 1.1
86.3
English III 7.3 26.3 42.7 23.7 66.4 5.6
66.4
***    One achievement level is either < 5% or > 95%
(In district-wide tables, three asterisks mean there was no data for 2014-2015. The meaning in this school level data and the "one achievement level is either..." note that accompanies it is confusing or unintelligible to this writer at this time.)

East High also ranked as a Level One school in terms of overall student growth in 2015, the lowest category. The levels range from one to five with Level Three representing an expected one years academic growth in one school year. Level five means substantially more than one year's expected growth. Level One means much less than one year's growth. Each student's academic history is considered and matched with others in the state of Tennessee to determine expected growth, so it varies by each student. Taking the results of these measurements for all students in the school and comparing them to students with similar academic histories throughout the state gives the overall school level of growth. The tested high school subjects which create these Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) are Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology I, Chemistry, English I, English II, English III.

The editor of The East High Alumni Page does not pretend to know much about statistical analysis and invites those with greater ability to analyze the numbers and draw conclusions are invited to assist. Contact editor@EastHigh.org
[The above article was update August 1, 2015]


East Graduates 124 in Class of 2015,
lowest number in memory

Sixty-fifth Commencement of East High School graduated 124 students the morning of May 16, 2015 at The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis. The Cannon Center rests on the land where Ellis Auditorium once stood in which a number of East High classes in the 1960s and 1970s were graduated. The 2015 class was the smallest graduating class size in recent memory. The school reported that the seniors received $4,808,697 in scholarship offers.
2014 State Report Card on Schools:
East High ACT Score Remains Low

Oct. 31, 2014 - [Please also see the story below for additional information]
East High's 2014 ACT average composite ACT score was 15.67, according to the Tennessee State Report Card on Schools released Thursday, Oct. 30.  In 1989 the ACT revised its scoring. A score of 16 today roughly corresponds to a 12 in pre-1989 ACT scoring.  It should be noted that now in Tennessee all high school juniors are required to take the ACT. Decades ago, it was voluntary and therefore those who might have scored very low may not have taken the test, giving results that skewed higher than they would have been if everyone took the exam. At least in the first two decades of its existence, East High was considered a school with an expectation that most students were candidates for college and, therefore, it may be that the vast majority of students took either the ACT or SAT tests. If almost all took the ACT, that would more accurately reflect the overall school academic achievement and provide a better comparison with modern ACT scores, once the 1989 scoring adjustment is applied. The East High Alumni Page believes the ACT score is the best measure of academic achievement both among schools in the present era and comparison between eras.
In 2013, the average composite ACT score at East High was 15.92 and in 2012 it was 16.0.
This editor admits a lack of understanding the state's evaluation in which it categorizes the composite ACT score at East to be meeting "the Standard for Academic Growth"  because it was above the predicted score, although it is obviously less than the either of the past two years. How lower scores can be meeting growth standards raises serious questions.
The 2014 Report Card on Schools is presented in format more difficult to navigate and to evaluate than in most past years, although last year's report was somewhat more complex to analyze. Whether the method of presentation is an intentional effort to obscure the data for most individuals could be a legitimate question, although the answer could probably be accurately predicted.
See our story below for a comparison of top local schools with East High.
The East High Alumni Page may, in coming days, attempt to analyze additional information from the State Report Card as it relates to East High and post the results here. The state's Department of Education web site's State Report Card on Schools is linked here.


2014 Academic Performance Measurements Released
[Editor's note - Oct. 31, 2014: There appears to be significant differences in the percent proficient/advanced in the following areas for East High School in the report released Oct. 30 and the one released in August. The East High Alumni Page has not yet attempted an evaluation of those differences.]

August 19, 2014 - The Tennessee Department of Education has released performance results for East High and other public schools statewide.
Here are the numbers for East High School.
Subject  percent proficient/advanced


East High
White Station Houston High
East growth
US History I
84.9 95.8
99.6
-6.7
English III 11.1 52.9
72.1
1.3
English II 43.6 77.3
85.6
13.2
English I 39.2 81.3
89.1
1.9
Algebra I
54.1 69.6
76.6
14.1
Biology I 31.6 69.5
84.2
0.2
Algebra II 18.1 62.2
75.5
-4.9
Chemistry 10.8 57.5
64.7
N/A

For comparison purposes a test results from a couple of other schools are provided.

Often White Station High School is cited as the most academically successful of those schools which were in the Memphis City School district (now merged with Shelby County Schools). About fifty percent of the White Station student body is in the "optional school" program with a focus on college preparatory studies.

Houston High School, which until the 2014-2015 school year was a county school (but now is a Germantown Municipal School District school),  often has had the highest academic scores of public schools in Shelby County.

For more information see the state's Department of Education web site.

The East High Alumni Page considers the ACT scores to be the definitive measurement of academic achievement. The ACT results can give some indication of educational performance among the states and provides what is believed to be a relatively valid comparison over the years. So using the ACT, an alumnus can get a sense of how pupils are doing and evaluate that not only over the years but also with their personal knowledge of ACT scores from their days in school. The ACT scores for the school apparently will become available when Tennessee releases its state report card on school in October.
          
           

Sixty-forth Commencement of
East High School

The 64th class of East High School was graduated tonight, May 20, 2014. Forth year principal Eric Harris said 148 students qualified for graduation and diplomas were handed out at ceremonies tonight at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Memphis. The class members were offered $6.5-million in scholarships and awards. Keynote graduation speaker and civil rights icon James Netters told the class that dreams, faith, confidence, and judgment should guide them through their lives and to never forget they are graduates of East High School. Principal Harris charged the young men and women,for whom this was the first class that he oversaw as principal throughout their entire high school career if they only attended East for four years, to remember the night before their first day at East. He said they may have tried to arrange to meet with a friend at the big  school the next day. Now, however, they knew the school inside and out, and some of the people they met there would be friends for life. He encouraged the graduates to walk away from negative relationships and embrace positive ones.


With the 2014 graduation, for the first time, the East High School diploma was issued by Shelby County Schools. The Memphis Board of Education had in 2010 voted to surrender its charter and that decision was ratified both by the city council and by referendum of city voters. After years of transition, the 2013-2014 school year was the first with the former city school being fully merged into the county school district. That changed the diplomas to read they were awarded by Shelby County Schools.


Class of 2013 Graduates
The 63rd Commencement of East High School was conducted Saturday, May 25, 2013, at the Cannon Performing Arts Center in downtown Memphis. One hundred seventy-four seniors were reportedly graduated. The guest speaker for the event was Pastor Keith Norman of First Baptist Church-Broad. The emphasis of his message to the graduates was to keep good company because they will act like the company they keep.
This is the final class of East High School to receive a diploma from Memphis City Schools as the city school system dissolves into the Shelby County School system in the summer of 2013.
Snapshots from the commencement exercise are available from the Class of 2013 directory page.


2012 State Report Card on Schools shows ACT score remains low
and the same as last year

The 2012 Tennessee State Report Card on Schools is out as of November 1 and it shows a composite ACT score for East students as 15.9, the same as last year. According to the ACT Concordance, this would be the equivalent of a pre-1989 ACT composite score of about 12.
The East High Alumni Page is not immediately able to provide an analysis of the 2012 report on East but encourages you to review the results at the Department of Education web site.



Graduation, 2012

Class of 2012 Graduated
Two hundred twenty students comprise the 62nd graduating class of East High School. Commencement Exercises were held May 20, 2012, at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Memphis. According to the program, 47 of those students received an "honors diploma."



East Fails to Meet Adequate Yearly Progress Requirements, Falls a Step on 2011 State Report Card on Schools
Dec. 2, 2011 - The day after a national organization recognized one of East High's teachers as one of the outstanding teachers in the nation, the state has classified East High School as a "School Improvement I" school based  on its performance. That is a step below where it has been the past three years. The school has failed to meet the federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks. ACT scores dropped a fraction of a point in all areas from the previous year's scores, the 2011 composite score being 15.9, the approximate equivalent of a pre-1989 ACT composite score of 12.
The East High Alumni Page has prepared a report on the 2011 State Report Card on Schools which you may access by clicking here.

You are encouraged to review the Tennessee Department of Education's 2011 Report Card on Schools yourself as it relates to East High School. It may be accessed here. Use the tabs at the top of the report section to see various results.



2010 Report Card on Schools Released
January 7, 2011 - The long delayed Tennessee state report card on schools for 2010 has been released. East High remains a "target" school, not meeting the benchmark for the graduation rate. However, for the state's report, the 2009 graduation rate is used and is 62.4%. The 2010 graduation rate is reported to have been 76.4%, considerably better but still far below the state's goal of 90%.

The East High Alumni Page has prepared a report based on the State's figures.


2009 Report Card on Schools

November 3, 2009 - The Tennessee Department of Education released its annual "report card" on schools showing the latest standardized test averages. Methods and baseline years have been changed, making comparison to previous years' reports difficult or impossible. However, the score The East High Alumni Page finds important is one that does not change methods often, the ACT. For those East High students taking the ACT in 2008-2009, the average composite ACT score was 17.07. While that score is up from last year's 16.72, it is significantly below the state average. It also is approximately equivalent to a pre-1989 ACT score of  13.07. White Station High School, often cited as the best academic high school in the Memphis City School system in the present era, achieved a 2009 composite ACT score of 23.71. You may view the 2009 Report Card figures about our school by searching for "East High"  in the form at the Tennessee Department of Education web site.


Below is information previously posted about academics at East High.

East High remains on "target" list of schools not meeting benchmarks.
July 23,  2009 - East High remains on the Tennessee Department of Education's "target" list for the 2009-2010 school year, indicating the school's pupils did not meet one or more benchmarks in testing during the 2008-2009 year. After being on the more serious "high priority" list for several years, East was upgraded in 2008 to the target list. The high priority list is for schools that have failed to meet the same benchmarks in 2 or more years. The 2008 Department of Education "Report Card on Schools" cited East as being deficient in Reading/Language Arts/Writing and graduation rate. Since the criteria for the high priority list is having failed to meet the same benchmark(s) for 2 years in a row, and East has not been placed back on that list, it would seem to imply that East may have performed satisfactorily in those categories of English and graduation rate but failed to meet the guidelines in another category. Such a scenario would be surprising since the other major category is math and The Greater East High Foundation has concentrated on tutoring in math at the school for several years and math scores have been improving. Details about where the school's pupils failed to meet the benchmarks likely won't be revealed until the 2009 Report Card on Schools is released later this year.

In the initial report posted here yesterday, it was indicated that it was unknown if East was on the target list since that list was unavailable. It was further speculated that since East did not move back to the high priority listing, it might also free itself from the targeted school list since if it had failed in the same categories as it previously did it would have qualified as high priority. The Tennessee Department of Education does not publish the list of targeted schools because it does not wish those schools to be labeled as failing. However, the list was made available through a public records request and therefore we were today able to somewhat clarify the situation regarding East High.

East Fails to maintain progress in 2008
according to standardized test results

Read our report
See the state Report Card data

Also see these documents:
2009 Computer Statistics (Compstat) Report on East High School Problems & Courses of Action


Eric Harris Eric Harris, a 1991 graduate of East, was appointed prinicipal of the school in June, 2010.

Get to know our new principal, Eric Harris ('91). Read the new edition of the Mustang Roundup - Alumni Edition!

A new principal was appointed to East High School to take over in the summer of 2010. Mr. Eric Harris is a 1991 graduate of East. His previous assignment was an "11th grade principal" at White Station High School, Memphis City Schools most academically successful school. A grade specific principal is an assistant principal assigned to oversee the pupils in that one grade. Mr. Harris was charged, along with the principal of White Station, with a violation of state law in allegedly failing to report a physical attack on a White Station student in September, 2009. Both have waived a November, 2010 juvenile court hearing and asked that the case be heard in criminal court. Subsequently, both have been indicted by the Shelby County Grand Jury in mid August, 2010. The charge is a misdemeanor and school system officials clearly did not lose confidence in  Mr. Harris and he not only continued in his position at White Station but was then promoted to the top job at East High.

As of August, 2007, the school known as East High became, for the first time in its history, only a high school. There is no middle school, or junior high, on campus. East High has only classes for grades 9 through 12. Grade 8 was eliminated after the 2006-2007 school year, grade 7 was moved the previous year. Elementary classes were discontinued after the 1984-1985 school year.

East High is the location for the school system's optional school program for college preparatory classes in health sciences, engineering, and allied health.

In January, 1999,  East High School was chosen as one of
25 schools in the nation to be a "New American High School."

New American High Schools are selected to participate in a program with the goal of fully preparing students to meet the challenges of a changing technological and global economy. These schools expose students to information about careers while adhering to challenging academic standards. They help students acquire the communications, problem-solving, computer and technical skills
necessary to pursue college or other opportunities. The schools develop partnerships with the community, parents and post secondary institutions and are expected to demonstrate sustained student academic performance. Schools participating in this initiative have committed to monitor their academic activities in order to better gage their improvement in a number of areas. These include raising student achievement by focusing on specifics such as curriculum, teaching methods, after-school help, accountability, and effective relationships with middle schools and post secondary institutions.

Information about East's selection as a New American High School and the program itself is from  The United States Department of Education. More information about the selection of East is available from the East In the News section of The East High Alumni Page.

For more information on the New American High School program itself, visit the U.S. Department of Education's NAHS web page

November 10, 2008 - The 2008 "report card" on schools was released and despite some slippage, East is removed from the state's "high priority" list.
Read our report
See the state Report Card data

November 3, 2007 - The 2007 "report card" on schools was released November 2, 2007. See the data about East High at the Tennessee Department of Education web site. Use the tabs near the top of that page to see the various sections of data.

August 6, 2007 - State Recognizes improvement at East High. See our In the News ... section.


July 31, 2007 - Tennessee Department of Education intervenes in the running of 17 Memphis City Schools, including East High School. See our report and the State's directives.


2005 Annual Yearly Progress evaluation indicates failure to meet standards. Read more...


Dept.of Education Year 2004 Report Card on East High - click here

MSSA Middle School Drop Off/Pick Up
Drive Under Construction

eastern side driveway under constructionNovember 28, 2022 - The "semi-circular" driveway for pick up and drop off for the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school in front of the eastern entrance to the East High School building is now under construction. It appears that it has been modified from the concept drawing to provide a much longer driveway. This changes  the landscape more than the original concept drawing but provides a larger off street area for the cars that line up every morning and afternoon. When proposed earlier this year, the school district administration said it would be completed before school started August 9, then when the contract was approved in late August, it was said the construction would begin September 15. Actual physical work began much later with the repaving of the driveway and parking area in front of the school and the parking area behind the gym and now the construction of the eastern side driveway.

Cars line up from Holmes St. around the corner westward over the hill on Walnut Grove Rd.Left: a line of cars on Walnut Grove Road stretches over a hill waiting to pick up students from the middle school. The line began in front of the eastern entrance of the school on Holmes Street and extended around the corner westward on Walnut Grove Rd. This line of occurs every morning and afternoon of every school as drivers transport middle school students.

Approximate location of new driveway on eastern side of campusLeft: red line indicates the approximate location of where construction is underway for the new pick-up/drop off driveway on the eastern side of campus to serve the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school. It is in two segments, utilizing an existing curb cut on Holmes Street near what was originally (1976) a Vo-Tech building, joins the paved area that was originally (circa 1963) an area for physical education classes to use when the ground was too wet but now is used as a parking lot, then extends from that area around the senior high boys dressing room (circa 1960), loops back in front of the eastern entrance to the school, the curves out to Holmes Street.

Paving at East High Including New Drop Off Driveway
Off of Holmes St. Expected to Begin in September

August 9, 2022 - As noted immediately below, the 2022-2023 Memphis-Shelby County Schools began yesterday without the promised semi-circular drop off driveway on the east side of the building for use of the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school, which is now located in the East High building.

At today’s Board of Education Business Operations Committee Meeting two East High projects were discussed. First is the creation of that semi-circular drive off of Holmes Street with at a cost of $440,980.00. “The total amount of $440,980.00 includes a base bid of $350,000.00, a performance bond of $7,000.00, an allowances total of $48,980.00, and an owner’s contingency of $35,000.00.” This item will be on the Board’s agenda for a vote for approval on August 30. Construction is expected to begin in mid-September and finished within 12 weeks, although school district officials say they expect completion sooner.

In addition to the new drop off driveway on the Holmes Street side of the school, the semi-circular and parking area off Poplar Avenue in front of the school is to be repaved and part of the Walnut Grove entrance and parking is to be repaved. This contract is for $334,464.00. “The total amount of $334,464.00 includes a base bid of $66,000.00, a performance bond of $1,320.00, an alternate total of $263,844.00, and an owner’s contingency of $3,300.00.” This work is also expected to begin in mid-September and be finished within 12 weeks. The Board is also scheduled to vote on this matter on August 30.

Although he did not specifically say the delay on these East High projects was because of supply chain issues, during the discussion on these items Dr. John Barker, Deputy Superintendent, Strategic Operations, said delays were caused by demand created by federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. Those dollars, part of the American Rescue Plan act, provided $122 billion to American schools. That money created demand for goods and services, leading to supply chain delays, according to Barker.

First Day of School 2022-2023 Sees Little Physical
Changes Outside of the Building

August 8, 2022 - The new school year begins today for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, including East High School and the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy middle school which will be located for the first time inside the East High Building.
 Despite plans and assurances from the school district officials earlier this year, there is no semi-circular driveway in front of the entrance on the east side of the building, which is to be the entrance for the middle school. The raised garden structure in front of that entrance has been removed. The concrete sidewalk immediately in front of the east side entrance doors has been painted with various phrases and images of the school board member representing the district in which east sits. Quite a few picnic tables have been added to the yard between the east entrance and Holmes Street.

 

Approved: Maxine Smith STEAM Academy Middle School
Move into East High Building

On January 25, 2022, the Shelby County Board of Education voted to approve the proposal to move the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy, a fully optional (magnet) middle school (grades 6-8), into the East High Building. It will occupy the eastern side of the building amd its students will use the eastern entrance for ingress and egress. A new semi-circular drive is planned for that side of campus to allow for pick up and drop off of those students. The move is effective with the  2022-2023 school year beginning in August, 2022.For more information, see the articles in this column and in the "Academics" column to the left.

Conceptual Drawing of Entrance Drive on East Side of Building

January 14, 2021 - Now available is a conceptual drawing of a proposed semi-circular drive off of Holmes Street to serve drop off and pick up of middle school students if the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy is moved to the East High School building. Genard Phillips, Chief of Business Operations for Shelby County Schools, cautions that this is a concept only, that any such drive will be designed after consultation with the City of Memphis Traffic Engineering division. The proposed move of the middle school into the East High building includes making the east entrance to the building the main entrance for those grades 6-8 while the high school students would use the front entrance facing Poplar Avenue.




RESCHEDULED: Second community meeting regarding the proposed Maxine Smith STEAM Academy move into the East High building

January 10, 2022, 4:45 p.m -Upon arrival at East High for the announced community meeting, the editor was advised it has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 13, 2022, 5:30 p.m.m at East High.
January 4, 2022 - Shelby County Schools has announced the date for the promised second community meeting regarding the proposed Maxine Smith STEAM Academy move into the East High building. It is scheduled for Monday, January 10, 202, at 5:00, in the East High auditorium. As you can  read below, the school district administration wants to move the middle school into the East High building beginning in August, 2022. [Notice: This community meeting was announced by the school but if it is noted on the district's web site, it has not been found -- it is not listed on the "community events" or any other calendar on the school district's web site.]

After the community meeting there will be an optional school open house.

Proposed Move of Middle School to
East High Building Appears to Involve
few Physical Changes in Building or Campus

December 9, 2021 - See the article at left about more details of proposed move of Maxine Smith STEAM Academy to the East High building at Community meeting.


Community Input Session at East High
Including Proposal to Move
Maxine Smith STEAM Academy to East High

On December 9, 2021, the school district holds a "Reimagining 901 Community Input Session," at East High School at 5:30 p.m.  It is expected that included in this session will be the proposal to move the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy classes from the old Fairview Junior High at Central Avenue and East Parkway to East High. The Maxine Smith STEAM Academy is an optional (magnet) middle school (grades 6-8) which requires meeting specific criteria for admission. STEAM means that the school focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.  The district invites community members to "learn about plans to transform schools, strengthen resources and improve communities" and to "share input and ideas."


Stadium on East High Campus Not in Five Year Plan "For Now"

May 24, 2021 - The proposed football stadium on the campus of East High is no longer in the plans of the Shelby County School system. A senior administrator for the district adds that outlook is valid, "for now." The district has released a five year capital improvement project plan which does not include a stadium at East. Furthermore, that five year plan is predicated on receiving $55-million from Shelby County Government for CIP projects for each of those five years, an amount that is nearly double of what it typically receives. Instead, the school system proposes to improve Halle and the Whitehaven High School stadiums and put new artificial turf at Crump stadium. The replacement for the Fairgrounds High School Football stadium, which will be built in/near Toby Park, remains in the plans for future years.

Football Stadium on East Campus Cut
from School System Priority List
for 2020-2021 Budget

April 23, 2020 - Reshuffled capital improvement projects by the Shelby County Administration excludes a stadium on the campus of East High School. Instead, the schools administration is proposing a football facility at the Toby Park/Board of Education site with a budget of $500,000 with the city pitching in with another half million. The Toby stadium is listed as number 13 on the revised CIP priority list and it would be included in the 2020-2021 fiscal year if the county provides the $25.8-million for capital improvements to the Shelby County Schools as proposed by County Mayor Lee Harris.
It should be noted that in a previous priority list, the schools administration was listing design and site work for an East High campus football stadium at $3.5-million. It would appear the Toby stadium would be a lesser facility and it may well not replace the thoughts of putting a stadium on the East campus at some future point. The campus stadium, however, does not make the new list even at the $65-million dollar point, the amount which is what the school administration says it will ask for from the County Commission.
The school board has not acted yet on the budget so the actual capital projects for the coming fiscal year may differ. The County Commission also approves the school system’s CIP budget and that also will be forthcoming in the next couple of months.

Board of Adjustment Approves Zoning Variance
to Allow Airplane on Front Lawn of East

April 22, 2020 - The Shelby County Board of Adjustment today approved the application for a zoning variance that would allow a “monument” including a single engine airplane to be placed on the front lawn of East High School. The Office of Planning and Development staff recommended the approval with some conditions and there was no opposition voiced at today’s meeting, so the application was approved with several others on the consent agenda by a vote of 7-0. As The East High Alumni Page reported previously, the Capital Needs and Facilities Committee of the Board of Education asked that the matter proceed to the Board of Adjustment for its action and then be brought back before the committee. The board has taken no action on the proposal. According to the board’s calendar, the next meeting of that committee has not yet been scheduled.


Early Indication: Proposed Budget
Far Short of Reaching Amount
for Football Stadium on East Campus

April 22, 2020 - Correction: as mentioned below, the $32,999.150 proposed by the county mayor for schools CIP is the total including the municipal school districts. The amount proposed for Shelby County Schools is about $25.6-million. So the gap between the school system’s East High stadium item on its priority list is even greater. On the last priority list made public, the school administration listed the design and site preparation for the stadium was number 32. The $25.6-million would only cover the first 13 items on the priority list. It also should be reported that the school system has about $21.2-million in CIP funds still unspent from this fiscal year but at last report the planned spending of that money does not include the East High Stadium.
April 20, 2020 - Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris today presented his Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Proposal in which he recommends the county provide Shelby County Schools $32,999,150 for capital improvement projects in the year beginning July 1. As reported earlier, based on the most recent listing of capital spending priorities of the school system’s administration, it would require $60.3-million for design and initial site preparation work for a football stadium on the East High campus to be included in the coming year’s schools budget. It should be emphasized, however, that the priority listing of the schools’ administration has not yet been adopted by the school board and there are competing interests for use of the money. In a five year plan, Harris proposes $50-million for a new school building, presumably for the Frayser area as he has promoted that idea and continues to do so. Although the school system has not planned for such a new school, that expectation of money in year three of the five year plan might free up other dollars which might be utilized for other projects prior to that.

The school system appears to want to put a monument featuring a single engine airplane on permanent display in front of East High School.

March 16, 2020 UPDATE - The Daily Memphian reports that the Board of Adjustment meeting scheduled for March 25 at which the zoning exception to allow the airplane on the East lawn has been canceled and all items on that agenda will move to the April meeting.

March 2, 2020 - Putting an airplane on the front lawn would violate zoning regulations but Shelby County Schools has filed an application with the Board of Adjustment to get an exception to that rule.

Update: At today’s meeting of the Capital Needs and Facilities Committee of the Board of Education it was asked of the administration to let the proposal go to the Board of Adjustment and then be brought back to the committee. Board Member Althea Greene, whose District 2 includes East High, indicated she enthusiastically supported the proposal. Board Member Joyce Dorse Coleman, who participated in the discussion via speaker phone, had concerns about the cost to the district of maintenance of the monument after it was installed. She also said the board needed to address taking programs away from some schools and giving them to others. Woodale High used to house a successful aviation program. Coleman said that program has been taken away from Woodale. East now has an aviation program.


The school system claims that the proposed exception, if granted, "will not create a substantial detriment to the public good..." and that it “will bolster the education goals of East High School while providing a sense of pride for the East High School community.”

FedEx has proposed the monument with a donated "Beachcraft Musketeer, a historic single-engine, light aircraft." The school system says that the monument would be jointly designed by East students and FedEx engineers.

The Capital Needs and Facilities Committee of the Board of Education is scheduled to discuss the proposal at today’s 4 p.m. meeting. The application goes before the Board of Adjustment at 2 p.m. March 25 at Memphis city hall.

The Commercial Appeal, Feb. 26, 2020;   Board of Adjustment Application


Proposal for Football Stadium on
East Campus Moving Forward

February 29, 2020 - "There well may be a new stadium at East," says the Deputy Superintendent for  for Strategic Operations & Finance of Shelby County Schools. Dr. John Barker made the comment to the school board at a retreat they held three weeks ago.
   The City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the school system have quietly been working to propose the high school football stadium for the East High campus. The HCD representative who has been reporting to the city council and county commission has told them that the location of a new stadium is not ready to be announced.
   For decades there has been a high school football stadium at the Fairgrounds. The city is in the process of redeveloping the Fairgrounds as it no longer is an amusement park. In doing so, they have eliminated the high school stadium. Two locations were identified as possible places for a new stadium, Toby Park, which is near the Fairgrounds, and the East High campus. Some in the administration of the school system have been talking about a stadium at East High for about three years.
   An informal survey of about 80 East alumni taken in the summer of 2018 indicated mixed opinions. Some alumni adamantly opposed the idea, others were in favor.
   Although it is not known for sure, it is expected that the football stadium is likely to be included in the school system and city budgets for the fiscal year which begins July 1.
Source: The East High Alumni Page


First Floor of East High leased to the University of
Memphis for one year for a middle school

August 11, 2019 - The first floor of East High School will be used by the University of Memphis for its Middle School for the 2019-2020 school year

The Shelby County Board of Education July 30 approved a lease contract with the University for use of the first floor for $42,420 for the 12 months.

The University has long operated the Campus School, located on the main campus of the university, for elementary classes. It provides early grade instruction mostly for children of employees of the University of Memphis and also serves as an instructional laboratory for the university's professors exploring new teaching techniques and for students majoring in education.

The University's Middle School is new, opening for the 2019-2020 school year. The University had planned to operate it in the former St. Anne Catholic School on Highland Street but the church and university could not reach agreement. The church required that no teachings in the school would conflict with the church's religious beliefs. Without that venue, the university was left without a place for the estimated 60 students it planned to enroll this year. Eventually, the university turned to Shelby County Schools to ask if it could lease space in the East High School building.

East High's original building was built to accommodate 1,500 students. Over the years at times it housed more than 2,000 in grades K-12. In the school year ending in 2019, East High, now only grades 9-12, had less than 500 students spread across the original building and two other buildings which were built on the East campus in the 1970s and 1980s.

The University Middle school will reserve one third of its enrollment for students who live within two miles providing opportunities for pupils who are not children of university employees. [Update: it has been confirmed that by "first floor" what was once known as the basement is what is being identified.]



Football stadium on East High Campus
makes first cut in school system priorities
for this year's budget expenditures

[Update August 11, 2019 - A senior official at Shelby County Schools says given budget constraints it is "unlikely" a stadium
will be built on the East High campus in the near future.]
July 22, 2019 - Shelby County Schools administration today presented a capital needs priority list to the Board of Education's Capital Needs and Facilities Committee. The total list, which represents what the Board asked the Shelby County Commission to fund this fiscal year, totals $66,310,956. The Commission, however, approved only $40 million. Shelby County Schools has consistently said that it has $500 million in deferred maintenance which needs to be addressed.

The priority list was created by Shelby County Schools administration and was split into two groups. Group one included 16 projects for a total of $37,500,438. Initial work on these projects was approved during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, and designs were already completed.

The second group consisted of 20 projects, construction of which would cost $28,810,518.
 At the top of this second group is a football stadium at East High School at a cost of $1.2 million.

The Board's committee asked the administration to go back and take another look at the list while expressing few preferences. In fact, the six members of the Board at the meeting appeared to agree with the sentiment expressed by some of them that they did not want to get involved in setting those priorities, that having all nine members of the Board pushing for their favored projects would make for a difficult situation.

The administration is expected to present a possibly revised list to the Board when it meets in its next business session July 30.


"My job is to protect East High."

June 19, 2019 - Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray last night told The East High Alumni Page, "My job is to protect East High." His emphasis in this conversation was increasing enrollment at the school.  Ray says that "probably next spring" he will share his vision for East High's T-STEM going forward. The comments came after a Board of Education work session (non-voting meeting) in which the request from the University of Memphis to use East High for its new University Middle School classes for one year was discussed.

In recent years, East High has had an enrollment less than 500 students in buildings that were designed to hold 1,500 and have held more. As part of an effort at academic and enrollment improvement, East is half way in transitioning to an all optional (magnet) school focusing on transportation related science, technology, engineering, and math (T-STEM). In August, grades 9-11 will exclusively be T-STEM students, who have to apply and be accepted into the program.

Several Board of Education members have concerns about co-locating student populations within one school campus and say they are seeking more information about the proposal to allow the university to use part of the school for one year to house 60 middle school students. An item directing the school administration to enter into negotiations with the university for the possible lease of some space at East High for the middle school is expected to be voted upon at the board's business meeting June 25. The university has a need for the space because the deal for the planned location, the old St. Anne's School on Highland Street, did not succeed and the university has been unable to find another location for the school.

Campus Look & Function
Survey Results

September 24, 2018- For two weeks in September, visitors to The East High Alumni Page were invited to participate in a survey to express their opinions on some ideas about possible changes to the East High Campus. The results are in - take a look.


$436,40 in  painting & flooring
renovation proposed for East

Aug. 21, 2018 - The Shelby County Schools Board will consider proposals for new flooring and paint in the "original" building of East High School. See our entry on the subject on our News Briefs page.

East High Sportsplex Has Broader Goal

"[Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey] Hopson told SCS board members last week he is meeting with philanthropic foundations and possible private donors about a change to the look of the campus to possibly include a football stadium and using the parkland that surrounds the school for students as well as the surrounding neighborhoods." Read the article: Memphis Daily News, Aug. 6, 2018

"Patio" laid down on east lawn of East High.

May 19, 2018-Workers have been putting down a gray brick patio on the east lawn of East High this week. It is said to be replacing a gravel area. Students arriving on time for the traditional classes at East (grades 10, 11, 12 this year) enter through the east doors of the school building. It may be that the brick patio is being provided for a larger place for students to wait if the doors have not been unlocked when they arrive. Photo below.


What's in a name? Newspaper
article raises question as to
East High School's name

by The East High Alumni Page
January 5, 2018 - East alumni reading the article in the Jan. 5 Commercial Appeal about the long anticipated announcement from Cummins, Inc. and Shelby County Schools about its promised partnership with East High may have found one phrase of the article of particular interest.

 "The program, to be operated inside East T-STEM Academy, formerly known as East High..." is how the third paragraph of the story reads. For many that may raise the question: formerly?

  It is true that the school system has applied the moniker T-STEM Academy at East High to the school's new technical program which serves the ninth grade this year but the school has not officially been renamed.

The Tennessee Department of Education maintains a directory of schools and it does not list any T-STEM Academy.

An official spokesperson for Shelby County Schools late this afternoon confirms there has been no name change from East High School.

The idea of changing the school's name has been voiced within the district headquarters. In October, 2016, Board of Education member Miska Clay-Bibbs, chair of the board's Academic Performance Committee, suggested the name might need to be changed because of the reputation of the school in recent years and to differentiate its new curriculum. That was ten months before the T-STEM program began at East.  A month later the then Chief Academic Officer Dr. Hedi Ramirez responded somewhat ambiguously to a question about the future of the school's name by saying the district wanted to preserve the historic significance of the school and its name and then suggested about three names that included the word "east" in them but were not precisely "East High School."  In January, 2017, superintendent Dorsey Hopson told this writer that administrators "like the name as it is, 'East High School.'"

It might be noted that several years ago the ninth grade at East, while still using the traditional curriculum, was called the 9th Grade Academy and many of the classes for that level were held in the eastern wing of the school, separated from the other classes. It was purely an internal identification, unlike the public promotion of the name T-STEM Academy.

While the board, which is the authority that could rename the school, made no changes in the official school name, the title T-STEM Academy has become pervasive within that program at East, and school and district publications have often referred to it as the "T-STEM Academy at East High."

Whether all this signals an eventual attempt to change the school's name or is just an endeavor to promote the new curriculum and evolving status of the school into a exclusively optional (magnet) school is not clear. Certainly the name of the school is something probably all alumni as well as The East High Alumni Page will have great interest. For now, however, the school at Poplar Avenue and Holmes Street remains East High School.


$2.59 million renovation proposed
for East High
January 18, 2017 - The administration of Shelby County Schools proposes a $2,596,500.00 renovation of East High School as part of  its "Fresh Start" plan preparing the school to transition to a fully optional STEM school beginning with the ninth grade late this summer. The money will be allocated for mechanical, electrical and lighting upgrades as well as exterior and interior renovations.The school district's officials say they will be asking the Shelby Commission for the funds.
The East High Alumni Page will continue its extensive coverage of the proposed conversion of East High into a STEM optional school with new developments occurring almost daily.

January 18, 2017-On the left is an image from the Shelby County Schools web site promoting the new STEM curriculum at East High. It is from a flyer that is being made available, probably tonight at the East High STEM open house at the school. It is promoted as a "one-of-a-kind" high school that is coming to East High. Additional promotional material about the "NEW Transportation-STEM Academy at Historic East High School" can be seen at the SCS web site.


Federal Grant and STEM Magnet School Could Be East High's Protection
From Closing
[Update: October 12, 2016 - The grant was not awarded to Shelby County Schools, however, the SCS  administration plans to continue to pursue the East High STEM proposal. Read more in the "Academics" column on the left hand side of this page.]

May 25, 2016 - "If we don't do something, I expect in three to five years you start getting to the discussion of closure-level low," said Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson after a school board work session May 24 as he addressed East High's enrollment trend. What the superintendent hopes to do is get a federal grant to turn East High into a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math optional (magnet) school.  As reported on these pages months ago, the target for the change would be the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year. This is the first time, however, the prospect of East's being closed has been publicly voiced by the administration. East High could hold 1,500 students, but in April had a pupil count of 554. The school was originally designed for grades 1-12 and even held a kindergarten in addition to those grades in the 1950s. Three decades ago the elementary grades were removed from East and in 2008 it became a grade 9-12 high school. East is calculated to be 59% under utilized and the district is actively reviewing low attendance schools for closure. Although originally Hopson was thinking the transition to a STEM school might occur as early as the 2016-2017 school year, concerns about other schools delayed that for at least a year. He says the discussions among staff about the plan are just resuming and engagement with the East community will follow.
For three decades East had been both a traditional high school and also an optional (magnet) school for engineering and health sciences. The health component was moved in recent years but the college preparatory engineering program continues at East. Despite those special programs, enrollment in them at East has been quite low for a number of years and the traditional curriculum enrollment has begun to decrease.
Sources: The East High Alumni Page, The Commercial Appeal


Urban Art Placed in Front of School

October, 2014 - On Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, new urban art in front of East High School was unveiled. On either side of the steps that lead to the center patio area of the school are mustang busts made of metal and flanked by attached metal benches. The objects were created by San Antonio artist George Schroeder of Texas who won an Urban Art Commission grant for up to $80,500 for the design, fabrication, and shipment of the works. The requested design ideas were evaluated by East art students. The front of the work contains the East High crest and metallic banners along the neck of the mustang contain the words academics, arts, athletics. East High Principal Eric Harris ('91 and Faculty) says he hopes to provide lighting for the art both to make it visible at night and also as a protective measure. Additional photos are here.

August, 2013 - Even prior to the city schoolOne-room school house system merging into the Shelby County School system this year, the proposal to move the one-room school house to the East High campus was on hold and no activity towards this endeavor seemed underway. In the summer of 2010, after an East High advanced placement history class participated in a project that led to it proposing a move of a one-room school house to the East High campus, the city school board passed a resolution to study the feasibility of such a move. Then The Greater East High Foundation got involved and is planning to support the proposed move and include various ancillary activities and objects. As of mid-August, no final decision has been made. The one-room school house was last used in the mid 1960s on Mud Island for African American pupils. For more on this news, see the Daily Update page and the In the News page.

Fence along southern edge of East High Campus between the athletic fields and Poplar Avenue.Fenced in? A new fence was observed in the spring of 2008. Since part of the campus is also used by the Parks Division of the City of Memphis, it was not immediately known if the fence was erected by the Parks Department or by the school system. The green hurricane fence extends along the southern edge of the campus between the athletic fields and Poplar Avenue. There is no corresponding fence on the Walnut Grove Road side of the campus. There is an entry at the west end of the campus and one can walk around the end of the gate on the east side to access the athletic fields and the Sportplex park.

A renovated science classroom, 2007.August 1, 2007 - Today's East High looks quite a bit different inside than the old East High after a $12.8 million renovation, at least at first glance. Would you know if you're in your old school if you suddenly found yourself in the classroom pictured here? Take a photo tour with the Mustang Roundup - Alumni Edition.


East Career and Technology Center There are two schools on the East High Campus today: East High School and the East Career and Technology Center. The career and technology center had its beginnings with the construction of a vo-tech building in 1976. An additional building was added for the optional school programs (health sciences and engineering) in 1984. In 2006, these two buildings became part of a separate school from East High and the optional school programs were moved to the main building. The new buildings were placed on the highest point on the campus where some elementary classes had recess and several trees were removed to make way for the buildings.

East High SportplexIn 1999, the Memphis Park Commission and City Schools completed a joint project to make the athletic fields area of campus the East High Sportplex. It features a 3/4 mile fitness trail, the school's 4 Lane 400m track,  2 soccer fields, 1 football/soccer field,  2 baseball/softball fields, and a playground. See our "In the news ..." section for more details.

About 1960, a senior high Physical Education dressing room was added to the school. It was used almost exclusively for senior high boys athletic programs.

In 1954, the auditorium was completed and opened. It had been removed from the original construction plans to save money. The auditorium was extensively remodeled in 2007.

"The annex,"  a 1951 addition to the school to provide additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding was used for classes until the mid 1980s and then was used for offices and storage. In 2003, in association with a mold scare, it was demolished.



East High School underwent a $12.8 million renovation in 2005-2007. Read about it and see photographs here.

About 1988 a music video was shot inside East High School, directed by Bill Carrier ('68) of API Cine firm. You may see the video on youtube.


For more information about the building(s) and campus, please see our history page and our In the news ... sections.










Selected Athletic News and Schedules

East High Fined and  Ordered
to Forfeit 2017-18 and 2018-19
Boys Basketball Games

September 3, 2022 - The organization ruling state athletics has sent a letter to East High School calling on the school to pay a $15,000 fine and to forfeit all games that James Wiseman ['19] played in during the 2017-18 and 2018-2019 basketball seasons.
  "The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has erased most of the James Wiseman and Penny Hardaway eras at Memphis East after ordering the school to vacate all wins and championship hardware from Wiseman's two seasons with the Mustangs for violation of the TSSAA's recruiting rule..." The Commercial Appeal
  The ruling by the TSSAA can be appealed. When the TSSAA originally took action against East High the Shelby County Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the TSSAA on behalf of East in November, 2017. The case took several turns but eventually was ruled moot by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2021.
   The TSSAA is a voluntary membership organization but has been designated by the state as the ruling body over high school athletics for those schools that join. Most high schools with athletic programs are members, including East High.

Front page of the Memphis newspaper: "University of Memphis charged with multiple Level I violations as part of NCAA's investigation
    "It alleges  coach Penny Hardaway [
East High Coaching Staff 2015-2018] "failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the men's basketball program."
    "... appears to extend beyond simply how the men's basketball program handled former player James Wiseman's [East High '19] eligibility status...
    "The university – in its response to the IARP – either categorically denied the allegations entirely or contended the allegations did not merit Level I designation."
The Commercial Appeal, March 26/27, 2022.

Appeal Court Rules but Wiseman, Boyce Case Not Over

March 1, 2021 - After more than three years in the courts, it appears the controversy whether James Wiseman ('19) (pictured at left) and Ryan Boyce ('18) violated the state basketball governing association’s rules and were ineligible to play basketball at East High for the 2017-2018 season is “still not concluded.”

The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled on February 26, 2021, that the appeal was moot because by the time the “trial court entered its final order in January 2020, the Students had already
participated on the East boys’ basketball team for the 2017-2018 season, and the Students
had graduated from the high school.”

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association declared the students ineligible to play at East High because at that time Penny Hardaway was East's coach and they had played summer basketball for "Team Penny." The TSSAA said playing for Hardaway at East violated its "prior link" coaching rule.  The Shelby County Board of Education, on behalf of East High, sued and a court allowed Wiseman and Boyce to play the entire season at East.

The case went back and forth. The chancellor in the trial court initially said that the TSSAA’s rules were arbitrary and therefore invalid, but that was in preliminary proceedings. The TSSAA appealed but because the trial court’s ruling had not be finalized, the appeals court sent it back. After modifying its final order, among other things the Memphis court found that TSSAA violated the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when it adopted the “athletic coaching link”
rule; and also when the TSSAA Board of Control determined that the students were ineligible to play basketball for East for the 2017-2018 season. The Chancellor ruled that the “athletic coaching link” rule and TSSAA’s decision to rule Wiseman and Boyce ineligibility were void.

Both sides appealed.

Now the Court of Appeals says the case was already moot when the trial court made its final decision, that is, the case had no practical significance because the students had long since played that season for East and had finished high school. So the Appeals Court vacated the trial court’s final order and sent the case back to Chancery court for any further proceedings.

An official with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which deemed the students ineligible to play at East that year, declined comment to The East High Alumni Page saying that it was a legal matter that was “still not concluded.”

Hardaway went on to become the University of Memphis basketball coach and Wiseman enrolled there after graduating from East. The NCAA, however, ruled Wiseman ineligible his freshman season for reasons related to his move to Memphis and enrollment at East High. Wiseman then decided to forgo college, entered the draft for the National Basketball Association and now is playing his first professional year for the Golden State Warriors. Boyce is playing college basketball at Georgia State University.

Swimming Teams Impressive in 2020 Championships

January, 2020 - The East High Boys Team won the Shelby County Interscholastic Athletic Association Swimming Championship. The girls' team placed third place overall.

East Girls Soccer Team Watches Rhodes College Women Win

September 27, 2019 - The East High Girls Soccer Team (pictured at left) visited the campus of Rhodes College today to watch the Rhodes Women (7 wins, 2 losses) defeat Millsaps 3-0. East has two more matches (see schedule below) before the season ends.
In addition to girls soccer, at least three other fall sports are underway for East High students: football, girls volleyball and coed bowling. Schedules for those are below also.



Wiseman, Boyce high school basketball
2018 eligibility saga continues

January 18, 2020 - "A Shelby County Chancery Court judge has found that the TSSAA's decision to rule former East High basketball players James Wiseman ['19] and Ryan Boyce ['18] ineligible was "void and of no effect," according to a document obtained by the USA Today Sports Network. Attorney Richard Colbert said that the TSSAA filed a notice of appeal on Thursday." The Commercial Appeal, Jan. 17/18.
Both Boyce and Wiseman enrolled at the University of Memphis after high school and were playing for the team in the 2019-2020 basketball season. Associated events during their high school years lead the NCAA to declare Wiseman ineligible for a number of games. Rather than returning to the University of Memphis team, Wiseman engaged an agent and is spending the time preparing for this year's NBA draft. Boyce transferred to Georgia State.

Trial delayed in dispute over eligibility of two
East High boys basketball players

March 4, 2019 - The case involving to East High boys basketball players Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman eligibility for the 2017-2018 season  which was scheduled for trial March 4, 2019, was delayed. The next entry on the docket for the case is a hearing on a motion for summary judgment scheduled for June 24, 2019. The TSSAA had ruled them ineligible but the Shelby County Board of Education, on behalf of East High, appealed that ruling to Chancery Court. You can read more about the case in stories below.

Trial set for dispute over eligibility of two East High boys basketball players

February 4, 2019 - A trial is set in Shelby County Chancery Court to take up the issue of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) ruling two East High boys basketball players, Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman, ineligible for the 2017-2018 season. The students  continued to play with the team while the court fight went on. The Board of Education, on behalf of East High, appealed the TSSAA ruling. Chancellor Kyle first ruled against the TSSAA issuing a restraining order against it, which allowed the continued play by Boyce and Wiseman. At this point, a trial is set in Kyle's court one month from today:  10 a.m.  March 4, 2019. See additional stories below.


Long after basketball season is over and East won another state championship, lawsuit over eligibility of two players continues

July 14, 2018 - The lawsuit in which the Shelby County Board of Education for East High School challenged the Tennessee Secondary Athletic Association's declaration that two of its boys basketball team members were ineligible for the 2017-18 season continues in the courts.
   As noted below, the Shelby County Chancery Court issued an order restraining the TSSAA from excluding the boys, Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman, and they continued to play for East High throughout the season. East won its third straight state championship at the end of the season. The coach, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway (Coaching Staff 2015-2018) was then hired away from East to become the head basketball coach of the University of Memphis mens basketball team.
   The TSSAA appealed the chancery court ruling. The Tennessee Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal saying that despite the chancery court's ruling saying it was final, it did not meet the rules actually making it a final ruling and that only final rulings can be appealed. The case went back to the Chancellor Jim Kyle of the Shelby County Chancery Court.
   As of late June, 2018, the parties to the lawsuit were still filing exhibits with the court.
   See additional stories below.

As expected, East High head boys basketball coach and former National Basketball Association player Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway (Coaching Staff 2015-2018) was named coach of the University of Memphis mens basketball team Tuesday, Mar. 20. The Commercial Appeal, Mar. 20/21

East wins 3rd straight state boys basketball championship, expected to lose coach

  "... it's hard to imagine that the wins will have more meaning or that he will have more fun," the article in the newspaper says. It's talking about East High basketball coach  Penny Hardaway who lead the East boys team on Saturday Mar. 17 to its third straight state class AAA championship. East won the game but probably the coach." He is expected to be named head coach of the University of Memphis Tigers. "He'll be introduced at a press conference early this week." The Commercial Appeal, March 17/18.


Basketball Eligibility Court Case Likely to Extend Beyond Season

January 25, 2018-The Tennessee Secondary Athletic Association, the voluntary membership governance organization of high school sports in the state, has appealed the December 13, 2017, order of a Shelby County Chancery Court which issued a temporary restraining order against the TSSAA from making two East High students ineligible to play on the basketball team this year. Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman continue to play with the East High boys basketball team. Given timelines of the appeal process, it is very likely the regular season will have ended by the time the Court of Appeal rules. East's last regular season game is February 6. It is also quite possible the state tournament will be over by the court's final ruling. Since the appeal is on the temporary restraining order, either way the appeals court rules will simply return the case to the Shelby County Chancery Court.  It is highly likely that a final decision in the case could come before the end of the current basketball season. That probably means both players may finish the season on the team. Although the TSSAA has not fared well in this court case thus far, should it win it would seem the result could be the declaration of forfeiture of all the games in which the then ruled ineligible players participated. That would be most of the games East played this season.
[see additional stories about this issue below]
Source: The East High Alumni Page.


Marcus Wimberly ['92 and Faculty], head football coach at East will leave his alma mater to coach at Cordova High. "I think it was just time for me to take on a new challenge," the two time state championship East coach told The Commecial Appeal. "Cordova has 2,100 students at the school, 100 players at the football team. They have facilities that they just don't have at East. The opportunity presented itself and I had to take it...I've got a lot of love for East ... but this was a no-brainer." The Commercial Appeal, Jan 12/13.

December 13, 2017-Two East High basketball players the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association ruled ineligible will be allowed to continue to play after a Chancery Court ruling today extending the temporary restraining order against the TSSAA. After hearing from attorney's from both sides, Chancellor Jim Kyle ruled (1) he has jurisdiction and (2)  the TSSAA rule is arbitrary which bars players who play on a non-school (independent) team for a coach, or maybe even a director or sponsor of the team, cannot then be eligible for a year if they transfer to the school where that person is coaching. The judge instructed the lawyers to arrange a schedule for a full  hearing on the merits of the case. In he meantime, Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman may continue to play with the East High boys basketball team.
Dec. 14, 2017-Update: the actual legal instrument ordered by the court Dec. 13 is a temporary injunction. The effect is the same as stated above.
Source: The East High Alumni Page


Nov. 30, 2017-East boys basketball was ranked first in nation by Maxpreps this week. Maxpreps is a division of CBS Sports and focuses on high school sports coverage.


Court restores eligibility of East boys
basketball players pending hearing

Nov. 23, 2017-Chancellor Jim Kyle Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order which allows Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman to play on the East High boys basketball team until a further ruling by the court. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7. The court decision required the chancellor to conclude the Shelby County School district lawsuit against the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association would likely succeed. The TSSAA is the organization that ruled the players were ineligible earlier this week. The Commercial Appeal, Nov. 22/23 (See additional stories and links below.)


Nov. 22, 2017-The administration of Shelby County Schools, in the name of the Board of Education, Tuesday filed a lawsuit in Shelby County Chancery Court in an effort to overturn a ruling by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association that declared two East High boys basketball players ineligible this season. The Commercial Appeal, Nov. 21/22


Two Boys Basketball Players Ineligible for 2017-2018 Season
November 20, 2017-Two members of the East High boys basketball team have been ruled ineligible for the current season by the body overseeing public high school sports in the state. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has denied East High's appeal of a ruling made last Wednesday that made Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman ineligible. The TSSAA ruled that the students who transferred to East this year had a  "prior link" to Coach Penny Hardaway because they participated in Team Penny, an off season AAU basketball team.
Read interesting details, including the principal's and the superintendent's reaction, in a newspaper story: The Commercial Appeal, Nov. 20



East High won the 2016 Class 4A Tennessee state football championship Saturday, Dec. 3, defeating Knoxville's Central High School 27-3 in a game played in Cookeville.  It's the fist football state championship for East since 1999 when it also beat Knoxville Central. It also matches the AAA basketball championship the school won in March, as the Mustangs joined White Station and St. George's as the only Shelby County schools to win state titles in both sports in a calendar year. The Commercial Appeal, Dec. 3




East High won the 2016 state championship in boys basketball (Division I, Class AAA) Saturday, March 19, defeating Cordova 64-60. It is reported that East is the only school in the state to have won the state championship seven times, the first in 1979. Source: The East High Alumni Page.


Sports Championships: State


Know when East was Champ?
If you were a member, or coached, a championship team, let us know. District, City, Regional, State* and other championships are welcome and information as to the sport (i.e. women's track), level (senior/junior high), and year of championship is needed. You may e-mail the information to editor@EastHigh.org.

State Championships:

Boys; Basketball: Championships (9): 2018, 2017, 2016, 2012, 1996, 1988, 1983, 1982, 1979   (note: the TSSAA has called for the forteiture and  vacating of the 2018 championship due to rule violations)

Football: 2016    Class 4A, 1999    Class 4A

Boys' Golf
Team Champion: 1955


Boys' Track and Field:
Note: in 1981 a switch from the British Imperial System (aka US Customary System) measurement to metric occurred
Team Champion: 1992    Class A-AA

Girls' Track and Field
Note: in 1981 a switch from the British Imperial System (aka US Customary System) measurement to metric occurred
Team championship: 2001, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1990, 1989
















2023 Sports Schedules

2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
 
Date    Day    Opponent    Notes
Aug. 19, 2023    Sat    at Melrose High School            7:00 PM
Aug. 25, 2023    Fri    at Arlington High School        7:00 PM   
Sep. 1, 2023    Fri    vs. Sheffield High School at Southwind    7:00 PM   
Sep. 8, 2023    Fri    at Hardin Co. High School        7:00 PM   
Sep. 14, 2023    Thu    at Hamilton High School         7:00 PM       
Sep. 21, 2023    Thu    at Frederick Douglass High School     7:00 PM       
Sep. 28, 2023    Thu    Bolton High School             7:00 PM
Oct. 6, 2023    Fri    at Lakeland Preparatory School         7:00 PM   
Oct. 20, 2023    Fri    Wooddale High School             7:00 PM
Oct. 26, 2023    Thu    Raleigh Egypt High School         7:00 PM


2023 BOYS' CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

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Date    Day    Opponent    Notes    Result   

2023 GIRLS' CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

Date    Day    Opponent    Notes    Result   
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2023 BOYS' GOLF SCHEDULE
 
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2023 GIRLS' GOLF SCHEDULE
 
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2023 GIRLS' SOCCER SCHEDULE
 
Date    Day    Opponent    Notes    Result   
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2023 GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
 
Date    Day    Opponent    Notes    Result   
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