Simpson County

The six schools in Simpson County—three elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools—serve students from prekindergarten through grade 12; available proficiency results cover grades 3–11. Franklin Elementary serves PK–K and has no test scores. The most urgent area-wide concern is Franklin-Simpson High School West Campus’s chronic absenteeism: 54% in 2025–26, compared with 24% statewide and 20% districtwide.

Franklin-Simpson Middle School is the strongest across its tested grades: it was above the state in 9 of 10 results, averaging 48% proficient versus 42% statewide, a 6-point advantage. Simpson Elementary School also stands out in grade 3, with math at 58% versus 43% statewide (+15 points) and reading at 55% versus 49% (+6). At the other end, Franklin-Simpson High School was below the state in five of six results, averaging 33% versus 39% (-6 points); its largest shortfall was 11th-grade social studies, 27% versus 37% (-10). Lincoln Elementary School had the largest negative gap in the reported results: 5th-grade writing was 22% versus 35% statewide (-13).

Results moved in different directions over time: the average school-to-state gap across comparable results improved by 1 point from 2024–25 to 2025–26, but the Middle School’s relative gap improved by 7 points while the High School’s worsened by 6. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile rose for the Middle School from 49 in 2023–24 to 71 in 2025–26, while the High School fell from 56 to 31 and Lincoln from 62 to 42. As context, free/reduced lunch eligible shares in school year 2024–25 were 64% at the Middle School, 66% at Lincoln, 59% at the High School and 84% at West Campus; these figures do not explain school results. West Campus has no usable 2025–26 proficiency percentages because its results are state-suppressed; in 2024–25, its grade 10 math was 11% versus 41% statewide and reading was 21% versus 47%.