Memphis University School

Welcome to Memphis University School. We are a college-preparatory school for boys in Grades 7-12, and we are guided by the principles of truth and honor that have informed our work since 1893. What we teach is shaped by what colleges expect of students they admit, by what we believe we should pass on from generation to generation, and by our mission to build ethical character.

Boys here benefit from a superior academic curriculum, small classes with individual attention, freedom within the constraints of our Honor Code, and peer encouragement to do their best. MUS is a traditional school, and our concerns for academic literacy and strong character rest on time-tested traditional values – perseverance, courage, civility, honesty, industry, self-restraint, responsibility, and generosity.

We encourage our boys to aspire to leadership through numerous opportunities in athletics, the arts, service, and other extracurricular activities. Students quickly develop a sense of belonging within this community, while discovering unique ways to exercise their individual gifts.

An outstanding group of passionate, expert teachers do their work here. They know how to educate boys, how to motivate boys, how to design incremental challenges that help boys discover and develop their abilities. Our small class sizes enable our instructors to know their students. This familiarity puts the boys at ease asking questions and seeking advice. Combine excellent teachers with inquisitive minds, and extraordinary possibilities abound.

When Memphis University School opened at Park and Ridgeway in 1955, it was surrounded by rolling hills and agricultural fields. The city has since grown to surround it, but the campus remains a 94-acre oasis, complete with old-growth woods threaded by a picturesque cross-country trail. The landscape and Georgian-architecture buildings provide a grand backdrop for learning, playing, and growing.

Academic excellence in preparation for college has been essential to our mission since our founders opened the doors of Memphis University School. We offer a wide variety of courses focused on the liberal arts – English, mathematics, classical and modern languages, history, sciences, and fine and performing arts. An experienced, dedicated, and caring faculty guides our boys on their way, as they discover how to learn and discern, how to think and how to reason.

Our teachers encourage all manner of intellectual pursuits as they share their own particular passions, be they detective fiction, robotics engineering, Portuguese culture, statistical analysis, Augustan poetry, the Maker Movement, or the math of music.

Our students are fully engaged in their educational journey, and their academic success is evident in Advanced Placement scores, participation in academic honor societies, success in interscholastic competitions, and college acceptances and scholarships. However, the ultimate measure of their – and our – success is the development of a lifelong love of learning.