Lexington City Schools

Lexington City Schools is a small, highly rated Tennessee district serving 893 students in grades PK–8 across just two schools — Paul G. Caywood Elementary School (PK–5, 655 students) and Lexington Middle School (6–8, 238 students) — and ranks #11 out of 141 Tennessee districts with a 5-star rating.

Lexington Middle School is the district's academic engine, ranking #46 out of 594 Tennessee middle schools (92nd percentile, 5 stars) and improving steadily from #74 to #66 to #46 over the past three years. Its science program is exceptional: 73.9% of students are proficient versus 46.9% statewide, with every grade (6th, 7th, and 8th) consistently scoring in the mid-70s. Social studies is also a strength at 69.6% proficiency. The middle school also has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 11.3%, well below the state average of 18.3%. Paul G. Caywood Elementary School is a solid 4-star school ranked #269 out of 1,019 elementary schools (74th percentile), also improving year over year (#288 → #280 → #269). Its 4th grade is a bright spot with math at 73.9%, science at 72.8%, and ELA at 64.1%, and overall math proficiency is strong at 58.9% versus 43.0% statewide.

However, Paul G. Caywood Elementary School has clear opportunities for improvement. Fifth-grade math drops sharply to 42.5% — 4.9 points below the state and 31.4 points below the school's own 4th grade — and 3rd-grade science sits at 33.7%, significantly under the state's 44.3%. The elementary school also has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (16.1%) than the middle school, which pulls the district average to 14.8%. Both schools improved notably this year: the elementary school's math jumped 11.2 points and Lexington Middle School's ELA rose 6.8 points. Per-pupil spending is higher at the middle school ($14,262 vs. $13,034), likely reflecting specialized middle-school staffing. Overall, Lexington City Schools is a healthy, improving district that outpaces state averages in most subjects.