Summary:
The city of Somerville, Tennessee has 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including 1 elementary school, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools. The Fayette County Public Schools district, which oversees these schools, is ranked 137 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating significant challenges across the district.
Among the standout schools, East Junior High School has relatively strong performance on state assessments compared to district and state averages, with 30.7% of 6th graders proficient or better in Math and 30.4% proficient or better in Science. In contrast, the district and state averages are much lower. The small Barbara Ward Cooper Education Center high school also stands out, with a high 4-year graduation rate of 89.2% and a low dropout rate of 6.7%, which may be attributed to its small student-teacher ratio of 5.3.
However, the majority of schools in Somerville are struggling academically, with most proficiency rates well below state averages across subjects and grade levels. For example, in Algebra I, the proficiency rate at Fayette Ware Comprehensive High School was only 5.4% compared to 29.4% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is also a widespread issue, with all 4 schools reporting rates around 19% in 2023-2024. While spending per student is relatively high, it does not seem to be translating into strong academic outcomes, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support to improve the quality of education in this district.
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