Summary:
The city of Milan, Tennessee, is served by the Milan Special School District, which operates four public schools serving about 2,026 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and ranks 50th out of 141 Tennessee districts, placing it in the 65th percentile with a 3-star rating. The four schools are Milan Elementary School (PK–4), Milan Middle School (5–8), Milan High School (9–12), and Milan High School Academy (9–12), an alternative program with just 39 students.
The district’s strengths are unevenly distributed. Milan Elementary is the rising star, improving from the 56th to 63rd percentile and posting strong math and ELA scores, including a standout 71% proficiency in 4th-grade math. Milan Middle is a math powerhouse, with 80% of tested students proficient in Algebra I, but it struggles in ELA, where every grade level falls below state averages. Milan High boasts a 98.3% graduation rate and strong upper-level course performance, yet its overall state ranking has slipped from the 87th to 67th percentile. Milan High School Academy, by contrast, serves a higher-need population, with a 7.7% dropout rate, 18.2% chronic absenteeism, and single-digit test proficiency.
The clearest takeaway is a literacy transition problem: students leave elementary school above state averages in ELA, but proficiency collapses to 31.0% at the middle school level and 27.5% in high school English I. Meanwhile, high graduation rates are not always matched by academic readiness, and the Academy receives only $6,535 per student—less than half the spending at other district schools. Low chronic absenteeism at Milan Elementary (8.0%) and Milan Middle (5.0%) is a genuine asset. For parents, this district offers a strong elementary foundation and excellent graduation outcomes, but secondary literacy and the alternative academy are the biggest areas needing attention.
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