Fayetteville Middle School

Fayetteville Middle School serves 200 students in grades 6 through 8 in Fayetteville, Tennessee, as part of the Fayetteville City Schools district. Academically, the school ranks in the 32nd percentile of Tennessee middle schools with a 2-star rating, a modest rebound from last year’s 24th percentile but still below its top-half performance from a decade ago. Proficiency rates trail state averages in all core subjects, with English Language Arts the weakest area—only 24.4% of students are proficient, compared to 40.6% statewide. Science is a relative bright spot, at 34.7% proficient, above the district average but below the state’s 46.9%. Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength: just 11.7% of students are chronically absent, better than both the district (14.8%) and state (18.3%). However, achievement declines sharply between grades; math proficiency drops from 42.6% in 6th grade to just 18.5% in 8th grade, and 7th grade ELA proficiency is only 11.1%.

The school also shows notable gaps among student groups. In 2024–2025, male students ranked in the 19th percentile statewide, while female students ranked in the 31st percentile, a gap that has widened in recent years. Low-income students have struggled badly, ranking in the 6th percentile in 2024–2025 before improving to the 27th percentile in 2025–2026. Special education students were a success story in 2023–2024, reaching the 67th percentile, though more recent data is unavailable. Because enrollment is small—roughly 65–70 students per grade—year-to-year changes can be volatile, so a few students can shift proficiency rates significantly.

Per-pupil spending jumped sharply to $22,176 in 2024–2025, nearly double the previous year, but this has not yet translated into major academic gains. The district overall ranks in the bottom 8% of Tennessee, yet Fayetteville Middle School consistently beats its district in science and attendance. The overall picture is a school with meaningful strengths in attendance and relative subject areas, but significant work remains to lift literacy and math performance, especially as students progress through middle school.