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Best Public Schools in Madison, TN

At a glance

Schools

2,894

Students

Top rankedSmithson Craighead Academy698^th of 1,019 Tennessee elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Smithson Craighead Academy up 109 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Stratton Elementary School 12.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

Compare Tennessee cities →See the top-ranked Tennessee schools →

Summary:

Madison, Tennessee is served by seven schools — six elementary schools and one middle school — all part of Metro Nashville Public Schools, with no high schools in the city, so students must transition outside Madison after 8th grade. Total enrollment across the seven schools is about 3,069 students, ranging from 317 at Gateway Elementary School to 626 at Amqui Elementary School. The district itself is ranked 126th of 141 districts in Tennessee (11th percentile), context that matters when evaluating the city's schools.

The clear standout is Smithson Craighead Academy, which ranks in the 32nd percentile and posts the city's highest ELA proficiency at 40.1%, nearly matching the state average of 40.6%. Gateway Elementary School leads in math at 37.9% and has the best attendance in Madison, with just 12.8% chronic absenteeism. Neely's Bend Elementary School shows middle-grade strengths, including 7th grade science (44.4%) and ELA (33.3%) that beat district averages. At the other end, Madison Middle School is the lowest-performing school in the dataset — ranked in the 3rd percentile with just 6.5% math proficiency and 31.6% chronic absenteeism — while Chadwell Elementary School is the weakest elementary school at the 4th percentile.

Two findings stand out. First, spending does not explain outcomes: Smithson Craighead Academy spends the most per student at $26,874, but Gateway Elementary School spends about $7,400 less and still leads in math. Second, grade-level results swing dramatically — Smithson Craighead's 3rd graders post strong scores but collapse by 5th grade, and Gateway's 4th grade math is exceptional at 57.7% while other grades lag. Large year-over-year shifts suggest a single cohort can heavily influence results. The data points to attendance, school structure (PK-8 versus standalone middle school), and targeted support for upper elementary grades as the highest-leverage areas, with Madison Middle School's low proficiency and the sharp grade-level drop-offs being the most urgent concerns.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				TNReady Mathematics (2026)							TNReady English Language Arts (2026)							TNReady Integrated Math I (2026)		TNReady Science (2026)							TNReady Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Integrated Math I 8th Grade	TNReady Integrated Math I All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Amqui Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	319 Anderson Lane	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 612-3678	577	44	13.1	45.8%	61 (10.6%)	220 (38.1%)	266 (46.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (4.7%)	11.1	927^th of 1019 public elementary schools	9.0%		14.6	891^st of 1009 public elementary schools	11.7%	36	15.7	22.5	25.6	11.4	10.5	14.6	17.4	10.7	17.5	26.8	16.9	10.7	12.2	16.4			19.3	25.0	22.2	15.5	26.3	17.1	21.1	22.5	38.6	12.2	25.4	$19,604	$2,021	$16,587
Chadwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	321 Port Drive	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1459	428	27	16.1	53.1%	33 (7.7%)	233 (54.4%)	139 (32.5%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	6.5	981^st of 1019 public elementary schools	3.7%		6.7	977^th of 1009 public elementary schools	3.2%	4	10.3	17.5	17.6				15.0	10.3	21.3	13.2				15.0			18.2	18.8	7.5				15.2					$17,407	$1,496	$14,941
Gateway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1524 Monticello Avenue	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1465	304	22	14.1	37.9%	60 (19.7%)	77 (25.3%)	146 (48.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.9%)	27.3	780^th of 1019 public elementary schools	23.5%		25.1	790^th of 1009 public elementary schools	21.7%	10	20.0	57.7	32.6				37.9	< 5%	36.5	20.9				21.4			13.3	42.3	18.6				25.7					$19,464	$1,269	$17,183
Neely's Bend Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1300 Neely's Bend Road	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1471	442	28	15.7	36.7%	51 (11.5%)	166 (37.6%)	206 (46.6%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.4%)	13.5	904^th of 1019 public elementary schools	11.3%		24.7	796^th of 1009 public elementary schools	21.1%	108	10.4	30.9	21.3	11.8	29.6	21.2	20.2	22.4	26.1	9.8	15.7	33.3	8.8	19.1			22.4	35.3	26.7	21.6	44.4	20.6	27.7	25.5	44.4	17.6	27.7	$18,482	$1,909	$15,725
Stratton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Old Hickory Blvd. West	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 860-1486	452	37	12.3	42.3%	38 (8.4%)	137 (30.3%)	246 (54.4%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.8%)	7.7	965^th of 1019 public elementary schools	5.3%		9.5	949^th of 1009 public elementary schools	5.9%	16	14.9	14.5	20.0				16.1	9.5	19.7	16.4				15.1			12.2	< 5%	23.6				11.7					$19,218	$1,540	$16,555
Smithson Craighead Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	730 Neely's Bend Road	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 228-9886	333	24	13.8	37.0%	33 (9.9%)	122 (36.6%)	163 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.2%)	34.6	698^th of 1019 public elementary schools	31.5%		23.7	807^th of 1009 public elementary schools	20.0%	109	55.6	18.9	13.0				30.1	61.8	39.6	13.6				40.1			37.7	36.5	21.7				32.5					$26,874	$1,656	$23,907
Madison Middle School	Public	6-8	300 W Old Hickory Boulevard	Madison	37115	Davidson County	Metro Nashville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 687-4018	358	21	16.7	48.9%	33 (9.2%)	173 (48.3%)	135 (37.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	6.1	575^th of 594 public middle schools	3.2%		8.1	556^th of 583 public middle schools	4.6%	19				6.4	< 5%	9.5	6.5				10.9	6.9	11.8	9.9						11.0	12.6	13.7	12.4	21.1	10.6	13.7	15.3	$18,514	$2,205	$15,470

Cities Near Madison

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Goodlettsville	2.36 mi	5	241^st
Nashville	2.51 mi	132	268^th
Old Hickory	3.31 mi	3	243^rd
Hendersonville	4.51 mi	16	23^rd
Whites Creek	6.03 mi	2	347^th

See the top TN Tennessee cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.