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

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.