Summary:
Pulaski, Tennessee is served by four public schools in the Giles County Schools district—Pulaski Elementary School (PK–2), Southside Elementary School (3–5), Bridgeforth Middle School (6–8), and Giles County High School (9–12)—together enrolling 1,872 students.
Among the schools with test data, Southside Elementary School stands out academically with the highest percentile rank (42nd) in the district, the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (9.5%), and strong fifth-grade science proficiency (58.3% vs. 46.5% statewide). Bridgeforth Middle School also keeps absenteeism low (9.8%) but posts below-average math (29.1%) and ELA (28.8%) scores. Giles County High School has an excellent 96.0% graduation rate and a 67.6% proficiency rate in ninth-grade Biology I, yet its overall rank sits at just the 24th percentile. Pulaski Elementary School serves the youngest learners and has no ranking or test scores, but spends the most per student at $15,999.
The most striking issue is the high school’s paradox: a 23.4% chronic absenteeism rate (well above the 18.3% state average) coexists with a graduation rate that beats the state. However, math proficiency is alarmingly low—Algebra I is just 9.9% vs. 32.3% statewide, and U.S. History is 12.5% vs. 42.4%. Biology scores split sharply by grade: ninth-graders exceed the state, while tenth-graders lag. At the middle school, seventh grade shows a noticeable dip, with math and ELA both at 22.7% proficiency. Southside Elementary School provides a bright spot in science, but fourth-grade scores trail the state in all subjects. Overall, the district ranks 90th of 141 in Tennessee, and recent ranking trends for both Southside and Bridgeforth have slipped—a concerning pattern despite the low absenteeism and strong high school graduation rate.
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