A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in width overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Or, bordure Sable, a steamboat ensigned in dexter by an oak leaf palewise and in sinister a gear wheel, in base fesswise a cotton boll of the second. Attached below the device, a Black scroll inscribed "MEMPHIS CITY SCHOOLS" in base metal letters.
Black and gold are the County colors. The steamboat symbolizes transportation, trade and commerce that have long been strong in Memphis and along the Mississippi River. The cotton boll represents the strong ties to cotton trading and its production in the surrounding Mississippi River Delta. The oak leaf historically denotes the vast timber land originally found in the region. The gear wheel depicts progress.
he shoulder loop insignia was authorized 17 June 2008.