Best Public Schools in Columbia, TN

Columbia, Tennessee is served by 12 schools within Maury County Schools, including 6 elementary schools (PK–4), 2 middle schools (5–8), and 4 high schools — two of which are non-traditional options like Northfield Academy and the Virtual Academy of Maury County. The district serves about 6,491 students and ranks in the 40th percentile (84th of 141) among Tennessee districts, earning 2 out of 5 stars.

Families looking for strong performers should consider J. R. Baker Elementary School, the top elementary school in Columbia, ranking in the 76th percentile with 4 stars and proficiency rates well above district and state averages in math (57%), ELA (50%), and science (57.9%). J. E. Woodard Elementary School is equally noteworthy, with the highest math proficiency among the city's elementary schools (58%) and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 10.5%. At the high school level, Spring Hill High School is the clear standout, ranking in the 68th percentile statewide with a 90.8% graduation rate, a 5.3% dropout rate, and Biology I proficiency above the state average. Whitthorne Middle School is the stronger of the two middle schools, improving from the 22nd to the 39th percentile over three years.

At the other end, Riverside Elementary School (6th percentile) and E. A. Cox Middle School (6th percentile) are among the lowest-performing schools in Tennessee, with math proficiency of just 6.7% and 16%, respectively. Columbia Central High School, the city's largest school, sits in the 13th percentile with an 81.2% graduation rate, a 12.6% dropout rate, and Algebra I proficiency of only 7.5%. Strikingly, higher spending does not guarantee better results: J. Brown Elementary School spends the most in the district at $18,717 per student yet posts 30.8% math proficiency, while Woodard achieves better outcomes on $12,691 per student. Chronic absenteeism is also a district-wide challenge, averaging 21.5% versus the state's 18.3%, with Northfield Academy at 37.9%. Notably, strong elementary performance at Baker and Woodard does not appear to carry into middle school, suggesting the transition is a key point of difficulty for Columbia students.