Dexter K-8 School, 7105 Dexter Road: pre-K to 8, 1,423 students in 2024-25, state letter grade C.

Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Sources: Dexter K-8, Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ school directory, 2026-27 bell times (PDF) and School Zone Locator, the Tennessee Department of Education’s State Report Card, 2024-25 letter grade and school profile files and spring 2026 test file, and the federal NCES school directory.

Dexter K-8 School is a Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, in the part of the city the district’s school map calls Cordova. The district lists a Cordova mailing address.

  • Address: 7105 Dexter Road, Cordova, TN 38016
  • Main office: 901-416-0355
  • Grades: pre-K to 8
  • School hours: 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times
  • Website: dexter-k8.scsk12.org

Who to call

  • Front office: 901-416-0355
  • Enrolling a new student: the school, with the district’s registration page; MSCS main line 901-416-5300
  • Checking a zone: the MSCS School Zone Locator
  • Buses: MSCS Transportation Services, which runs Find My Bus; the district says students who live outside the parent responsibility zone (1.5 miles for elementary, 2 miles for middle and high school) can ride to their zoned school

Principal

Principal Patrick L. Certion, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment

The federal NCES directory counted 1,490 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 90 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 17 students per teacher. The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2024-25 school profile file has a newer count of 1,423 students, including 86 in pre-K.

State report card

Tennessee grades every public school A to F. The department says School Letter Grades give “a snapshot of how each school in the state is performing, including student achievement and academic growth measures for all schools, as well as a measure of college and career readiness just for high schools.”

From the state’s 2024-25 letter grade file:

Measure Dexter K-8
Overall letter grade, 2024-25 C (score 3.1 of 5)
Achievement grade D
Academic growth grade B
Growth of the lowest-scoring 25% of students A
Overall success rate on state tests, 2024-25 20.9%

The state’s spring 2026 test file has the share of Dexter K-8 students in tested grades who met or exceeded expectations on TCAP: 19.4% in English language arts, 14.8% in math, 24.3% in science and 47.6% in social studies. The 2025-26 letter grades have not been published yet.

The State Report Card page for Dexter K-8 lists the school’s accountability designation as Targeted Support and Improvement, a status the state uses for schools it has identified for extra support, and holds the full detail: results by grade and subject, chronic absenteeism and results for each group of students.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

MSCS attendance zones do not follow city limits. Check an address in the School Zone Locator, which shows the zoned elementary, middle and high school, or see the district’s 2026-27 boundary maps for elementary, middle and high schools (PDFs).

On the district’s zone map, the Dexter K-8 zone is split for high school: by area, Cordova High (about 47%), Bolton High (about 32%) and White Station High (about 22%).

Our Cordova neighborhood guide covers the area around the school.

Calendar and school hours

The district’s 2026-27 student calendar, which MSCS says is pending approval by the Tennessee Department of Education, has these dates next:

  • Monday, Oct. 19: last day of fall break; students return Tuesday, Oct. 20
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 16-18: semester exams; Dec. 18 ends the first semester
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 4: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • March 15-19: spring break, with a second break March 26 and 29
  • Thursday, May 20, 2027: last day for students

Parent-teacher conferences run 4 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2027, for elementary schools. The school day runs 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times.

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does Dexter K-8 serve?

Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is at 7105 Dexter Road in Cordova; the main office number is 901-416-0355.

What is Dexter K-8’s state report card grade?

Dexter K-8 received a C overall in Tennessee’s 2024-25 School Letter Grades, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

Which high school does Dexter K-8 feed into?

Most of its zone by area goes to Cordova High, according to the district’s 2026-27 zone map. Check an address in the School Zone Locator.

What time does Dexter K-8 start?

School runs from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s 2026-27 bell times.