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Thelma Barker Elementary

Q: Is Thelma Barker Elementary a good school?

Thelma Barker Elementary ranks 679 th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

679^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,009 Tennessee Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Tennessee elementary schools

Summary

Thelma Barker Elementary is a public elementary school in Jackson, Tennessee, serving 715 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Madison County School District, which is ranked 126 out of 139 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thelma Barker Elementary consistently performs below the state and district averages in mathematics, English language arts, and science proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's overall mathematics proficiency rate was 36.2%, compared to the state average of 42.2% and the district average of 26.8%. The school's performance is particularly low in 3rd grade mathematics, where only 26.1% of students were proficient, compared to the state average of 43.3% and the district average of 25.9%. Additionally, the school has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.2% to 29.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

The nearby schools in the Madison County district, such as Lincoln Elementary, Arlington Elementary, and Alexander Elementary, also perform poorly, with test scores and rankings similar to or even lower than Thelma Barker Elementary. In contrast, the nearby Bradford Elementary, which is in a different district, performs significantly better than Thelma Barker Elementary and the other Madison County schools, suggesting that district-level factors may be contributing to the low performance of the Madison County schools. Additionally, the two magnet schools in the area, Community Montessori School and Andrew Jackson Elementary, significantly outperform Thelma Barker Elementary and the other Madison County schools in academic achievement.

776

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,050

Per pupil spending ?

76%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1470 Ashport RD
Jackson, TN 38305

(731) 668-8831

District: Madison County

Students who attend Thelma Barker Elementary usually attend:

High:	Madison Academic Magnet High School
	North Side High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

45.0%

Hispanic:

29.4%

White:

13.9%

See top rated Tennessee elementary schools

Compare Thelma Barker Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2014 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Tennessee average (35% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2014

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg27%

Tennessee avg42%

679^th of 1,009

Tennessee public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 33 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Tennessee Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Madison County

126^th of 139Madison County among Tennessee districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	679 of 1009	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	698 of 1018	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	688 of 1020	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	677 of 1000	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.4	797 of 983	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	659 of 985	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	604 of 997	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.4	541 of 646	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	65.4	291 of 855	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.6	279 of 853	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.7	354 of 846	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.7	197 of 820	76.0%	★★★★☆
2011	72.5	210 of 818	74.3%	★★★★☆
2010	94.4	51 of 809	93.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	237 of 498	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	282 of 498	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	226 of 500	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	213 of 483	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.0	278 of 411	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.5	210 of 404	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	204 of 450	54.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.0	152 of 211	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	58.0	50 of 178	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	41.7	85 of 164	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	132 of 165	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	58 of 101	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	42 of 66	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.3	88 of 95	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	658 of 986	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	726 of 990	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	683 of 989	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	620 of 975	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.3	768 of 945	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	619 of 926	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	222 of 424	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	221 of 415	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	242 of 387	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	230 of 363	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.8	249 of 324	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.4	171 of 250	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	212 of 319	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	521 of 843	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.3	640 of 853	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	664 of 865	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	619 of 858	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	722 of 823	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.8	512 of 821	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	544 of 877	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	34.5	666 of 984	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	622 of 991	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	651 of 987	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	710 of 980	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	730 of 941	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	640 of 916	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2018	20.2	370 of 395	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Tennessee percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	406 of 840	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	400 of 847	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	321 of 852	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.6	289 of 844	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.8	692 of 844	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.1	334 of 812	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.5	254 of 841	69.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)52nd percentile+20 vs school

White (2025)52nd percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)28th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2018)6th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Tennessee (2024-2025) ?

Science41%-5 vs state

Mathematics36%-6 vs state

English Language Arts29%-10 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, January 5, 2018

Too many children at the school and in the classrooms. Children are getting passed on who cannot read. Close Quote

Schools Near Thelma Barker Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)							TNReady English Language Arts (2025)							TNReady Science (2025)							TNReady Social Studies (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thelma Barker Elementary	Public	K-5	1470 Ashport RD	Jackson	38305	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(731) 668-8831	715	49	14.4		110 (15.4%)	321 (44.9%)	181 (25.3%)	35 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (9.5%)	34.9	679^th of 1009 public elementary schools	32.7%		32.8	698^th of 1018 public elementary schools	31.4%	19	26.1	39.7	44.3				36.2	26.1	29.8	32.2				29.2	44.8	45.5	30.7				40.7					$12,050	$1,298	$9,950
Pope School	Public	K-6	1071 Old Humboldt RD	Jackson	38305	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(731) 668-0350	613	41	14.9		169 (27.6%)	308 (50.2%)	60 (9.8%)	23 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.6%)	52.6	456^th of 1009 public elementary schools	54.8%		59.1	356^th of 1018 public elementary schools	65.0%	100	41.8	55.9	62.1	51.4			53.2	30.4	49.0	35.6	27.8			36.8	39.2	50.0	29.9	54.2			43.2	37.5			37.5	$12,762	$1,230	$10,824
Bradford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	136 Highway 45 S	Bradford	38316	Gibson County	Bradford	No	No	No	Yes	(731) 742-2118	310	21	15.0		276 (89.0%)	13 (4.2%)	8 (2.6%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	50.3	483^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	52.1%		51.2	459^th of 1018 public elementary schools	54.9%	24	40.8	36.1	43.2				39.6	46.9	45.9	40.9				44.8	46.9	47.5	40.9				45.5					$15,053	$1,004	$12,966
Andrew Jackson Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	211 Old Hickory BLVD	Jackson	38305	Madison County	Madison County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(731) 668-8023	481	30	16.3		26 (5.4%)	334 (69.4%)	69 (14.3%)	10 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.1%)	9.8	942^nd of 1009 public elementary schools	6.6%		15.2	891^st of 1018 public elementary schools	12.5%	51	10.3	11.8	17.9				13.3	22.7	18.4	20.5				20.7	18.4	21.1	20.5				19.9					$12,093	$1,439	$9,827
East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2480 Ashport RD	Jackson	38305	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(731) 988-3860	491	34	14.4		147 (29.9%)	238 (48.5%)	50 (10.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.0%)	29.8	739^th of 1009 public elementary schools	26.8%		23.4	804^th of 1018 public elementary schools	21.0%	65	32.9	34.2	18.6				28.8	31.6	46.6	27.1				35.1	28.8	49.3	15.9				31.5					$12,904	$1,468	$10,673
West Tennessee School for the Deaf	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Berryhill DR	Jackson	38301	Madison County	West Tennessee School for the Deaf	No	No	No	Yes	(731) 423-5705	32	6	5.3		19 (59.4%)	9 (28.1%)	2 (6.3%)	1 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.1%)								(n/a)
Community Montessori School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	716 Westwood AVE	Jackson	38301	Madison County	Madison County	No	Yes	No	No	(731) 422-3116	657	43	15.2		450 (68.5%)	139 (21.2%)	21 (3.2%)	8 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (5.9%)	73.8	205^th of 1009 public elementary schools	79.7%		72.5	217^th of 1018 public elementary schools	78.7%	12	51.8	53.6	42.9	60.0	44.8	44.3	49.9	49.4	59.4	58.7	65.7	56.9	47.1	55.9	37.3	58.0	54.8	62.9	50.0	57.1	52.9	68.6	74.1	61.4	67.7	$13,565	$1,006	$11,791
Arlington Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	701 Arlington AVE	Jackson	38301	Madison County	Madison County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(731) 265-9784	632	42	15.0		45 (7.1%)	413 (65.3%)	108 (17.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (10.0%)	7.5	971^st of 1009 public elementary schools	3.8%		9.1	965^th of 1018 public elementary schools	5.2%	6	7.5	21.5	17.5				14.9	15.0	21.5	10.5				15.8	12.5	14.3	20.0				15.2					$13,365	$1,746	$10,826
Alexander Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	900 N Highland AVE	Jackson	38301	Madison County	Madison County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(731) 422-1841	373	27	13.6		16 (4.3%)	291 (78.0%)	22 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (11.5%)	4	1003^rd of 1009 public elementary schools	0.6%		5.4	1005^th of 1018 public elementary schools	1.3%	2	13.0	11.8					9.7	5.7	6.3						10.9	10.4	10.2				10.5					$13,736	$1,828	$10,833
Lincoln Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	532 Whitehall ST	Jackson	38301	Madison County	Madison County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(731) 988-3800	430	25	17.2		9 (2.1%)	382 (88.8%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.5%)	6.5	979^th of 1009 public elementary schools	3.0%		6.8	993^rd of 1018 public elementary schools	2.5%	14	12.7	8.3	11.9				11.1	9.5	10.6	19.0				12.5	9.5	29.2	11.9				16.3					$13,957	$1,685	$11,239

Frequently Asked Questions about Thelma Barker Elementary

How many students attend Thelma Barker Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 776 students attended Thelma Barker Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Thelma Barker Elementary?

Students at Thelma Barker Elementary are 45% African American, 29% Hispanic, 14% White, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Thelma Barker Elementary attend?

Students who attend Thelma Barker Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Madison Academic Magnet High School
High : North Side High School

Is Thelma Barker Elementary a good school?

Thelma Barker Elementary ranks 679^th of 1009 Tennessee elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Thelma Barker Elementary in?

Madison County

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.