Bartlett City Schools

Bartlett City Schools is a small, high-performing Tennessee district with 10 schools serving approximately 8,834 students across six elementary schools (PK–5), three middle schools (6–8), and one high school (9–12), ranking 15th out of 141 Tennessee districts with a 5-star rating. Elementary schools generally perform well above state averages in math, ELA, and science, and chronic absenteeism across the district is just 12.1% compared to the state average of 18.3%. However, there is a noticeable gap between the two Bon Lin schools and the rest of the district, with most other schools ranking between the 71st and 86th percentile statewide.

Bon Lin Elementary School and Bon Lin Middle School are the district's only 5-star schools and form a clear "cluster of excellence." Bon Lin Elementary ranks in the 91st percentile and leads every elementary school in math (69.1% proficient), ELA (66.9%), and science (70.7%), while also posting the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 8.7%. Bon Lin Middle ranks in the 90th percentile and is the only middle school to improve in every tested subject, with standout 8th grade math performance (71.4% proficient vs. 38.3% statewide). Bartlett Elementary School has shown steady improvement, climbing from 162nd to 140th in state rankings over three years. Bartlett High School, which serves about 31% of the district's students, boasts a strong 94.8% graduation rate and a very low 2.8% dropout rate.

There are several concerns parents should note. Middle school ELA proficiency is a district-wide weakness at 39.8%, essentially at the state average of 40.6%, despite much stronger literacy results at the elementary and high school levels. At Bartlett High, only 25.4% of students are proficient in Algebra I, well below the state average of 32.3%. Appling Middle School stands out as the highest concern, with the district's worst chronic absenteeism (17.0%), lowest middle-school ELA proficiency (35.6%), and the largest science decline in the district, despite spending more per student than Bon Lin Middle. Meanwhile, Oak Elementary School and Rivercrest Elementary School have both declined significantly in state rankings over the past three years, indicating that spending levels do not reliably predict academic outcomes across the district.