Summary:
ZIP code 40219 has eight Jefferson County schools: six elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, serving students from elementary grades through high school. Elementary results are generally well below state benchmarks: the available math scores average 21% proficient versus 43% statewide, while reading averages 24% versus 50%. The clearest exception is Okolona Elementary, whose grade 3 math score of 46% is the only reported result above a state benchmark.
Okolona leads several elementary comparisons, including grade 3 math and reading (46% and 37%) and grade 4 reading (34%); it also leads grade 4 math at 28%, just 1 point above Minors Lane Elementary. Minors Lane has the group’s highest grade 5 reading and social studies scores, 35% and 21%, though both remain below state rates. At the lower end, Blake Elementary scored 12% in grade 3 math and grade 5 reading, while Rangeland Elementary scored 3% in grade 5 social studies. SchoolDigger ranks Okolona highest in this group, at the 12th percentile statewide; every other school is at or below the 8th percentile. At the secondary level, Thomas Jefferson Middle scored 10%–15% in grades 6–8 math, against state results of 39%–42%. Southern High scored 15% in grade 10 math and 25% in reading, and its chronic absenteeism was 53% versus 24% statewide.
Recent elementary test changes are mixed, with matched school results showing the gap to state performance was essentially flat overall; reading and math improved relative to state benchmarks, while writing and social studies fell back. SchoolDigger’s longer-term rankings weakened for six of the eight schools between 2023–2024 and 2025–2026, although Minors Lane and Thomas Jefferson Middle moved up. School context does not neatly match results: Minors Lane has the lowest student-teacher ratio, 11.1, while Okolona has a ratio of 15.8 and 75% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025. These figures offer context, not an explanation for school results.
Thank you for your feedback!