Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38821

Zip code 38821 contains 5 schools serving approximately 2,366 students across two districts — the Amory School District, which operates four schools in a grade-band structure from kindergarten through 12th grade, and the Monroe County School District, which operates Hatley School, a K–12 alternative school. All five schools serve predominantly low-income populations, with free/reduced lunch rates between 58% and 70%, and the area's weighted average chronic absenteeism rate of roughly 30.6% runs well above the state average of 23.9%.

Families will find a clear standout in East Amory Elementary, which ranks in the 80th percentile statewide (76th of 377 elementary schools) and outperformed the state in every tested subject in 2025–26 despite a 64.65% poverty rate. Amory High School is also solid, with a 91.2% graduation rate and strong results in U.S. History, Algebra I, and English II, though Biology proficiency slipped to 51.7%. The biggest concern is Amory Middle School, whose rank fell from the 76th to the 45th percentile in two years; 8th grade math proficiency is just 24.3% versus 51.4% statewide, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 39.0% is the highest in the zip code. Hatley School is a paradox: the largest school in the area with 905 students and a graduation rate below the state, yet it posts strong scores in middle school math, Biology, and English II. West Amory Elementary School serves grades K–2, so it has no test data, but it has the highest poverty rate (68.73%) and the lowest chronic absenteeism (22.2%).

For parents, the key takeaway is the "middle school dip": students leaving East Amory Elementary appear to struggle once they reach Amory Middle School — 5th grade math proficiency of 63.3% drops to 52.4% in 6th grade. The data also shows that high poverty does not automatically mean low performance, and the high student-teacher ratio at West Amory Elementary School makes early literacy interventions critical to sustaining the district's elementary gains. Overall, this area offers a strong elementary foundation, a weak middle school, and a high school that graduates students above the state average.