MEMArtsTech
Built for Memphis Students
New Ballet Ensemble & School, Inc. is launching a new nonprofit, Memphis School for the Arts & Technology (MEMArtsTech), a public school serving grades 6–12. MEMArtsTech will provide rigorous academic instruction integrated with professional arts and technology education. The school will be located on the Humes legacy campus in Uptown/Smokey City, North Memphis, supporting accessibility for surrounding neighborhoods while remaining open to students county-wide.
MEMArtsTech will operate year-round and partner with established education and community organizations to support student learning and engagement. The curriculum is designed to connect academics, the arts, and technology with real-world applications, preparing students for postsecondary education, workforce pathways, and creative leadership opportunities.
What Students Will Experience
At MEMArtsTech, students will receive:
- Rigorous, high-quality academic instruction
- Professional-level training in the arts and technology
- Mentorship from working artists, educators, and entrepreneurs
- A supportive environment that values creativity as intelligence
- A network of nonprofit partners providing holistic support and wrap-around services
Students will graduate prepared to:
- Enter competitive BFA and collegiate programs
- Launch artistic and technological creative careers
- Contribute to the cultural and economic future of Memphis
A New Kind of School for Memphis
MEMArtsTech will be the first freestanding vocational arts and technology school in Memphis and the only school nationwide to operate as a full-service community school, serving students in grades 6–12 and their families.
Designed after the nation’s leading arts schools, MEMArtsTech is for students who aspire to careers in the arts and technology. The school combines rigorous academics with intensive professional training in the arts and technology through an open admissions process that values passion, commitment, and creative potential rather than academic achievement or prior artistic training.
By basing admissions on artistic aptitude rather than academic achievement, MEMArtsTech creates opportunity for students whose creative intelligence is too often overlooked in traditional school systems.
Why This Matters Now
Memphis is celebrated worldwide for its artistic legacy—but we must do more to develop the next generation of creative innovators.
Too many talented young people leave school without ever having their abilities fully nurtured. MEMArtsTech is a direct investment in the city’s future artists, innovators, and cultural leaders—ensuring that talent meets opportunity from an early age.
Photo caption: Yo-Yo Ma and New Ballet Ensemble & School students perform at Colonial Middle School, 2014.
A Historic School, Reimagined
New Ballet Ensemble & School closed on the sale of the historic Humes School with the Memphis Shelby County Schools Board on June 10, 2026, to transform the campus into a new community hub for arts education and family resources.
Known locally as a beloved junior and senior high school, and nationally as Elvis Presley’s alma mater, Humes has long stood at the intersection of education, innovation, and community. From its earliest days, the school paired rigorous academics with forward-looking vocational training and civic responsibility. In 1931, Humes became the first school in the South to assess every student with an audiometer, reflecting its early commitment to educational technology and student well-being. It also served as a refuge for families displaced by the 1937 Mississippi River flood, with teachers and students organizing relief efforts. Over the decades, Humes continued to pioneer programs that prepared students for emerging careers in technology, health, and skilled professions—a legacy that lives on through MEMArtsTech.
MEMArtsTech leadership is in conversations across the community to learn from neighbors, students, alums, and teachers about their history in this historic community and their vision for the future of the Humes Creative Campus.
Photo caption: Fall 2025: Humes alumni gathered at Dave Wells Community Center to begin the conversation around the renewal of their alma mater.
To learn more about MEMArtsTech, please email memartstech@newballet.org to schedule a tour.