Schools in Zip Code 37086

Schools in zip code 37086 (La Vergne, TN) include five public schools—three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—serving about 6,283 students in the Rutherford County Schools district, which ranks 44th of 141 districts in Tennessee. The schools show stark contrasts in performance. Rock Springs Elementary is the clear standout, ranking 417th of 1,019 elementary schools with a 3-star rating—the only school in the area to earn 3 stars. Roy L Waldron Elementary ranks in the 14th percentile, a 1-star school that has remained in the low teens for three straight years despite spending more per student than any other school in the zip code.

Academic proficiency across the zip code trails district and state averages in most subjects. Rock Springs outperforms the other two elementary schools by roughly 20 to 25 percentage points in math, ELA, and science, and its chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.5% is less than half the district rate (11.3%) and one-third of the state rate (18.3%). LaVergne Middle School shows modest improvement, rising from the 28th to 33rd percentile, while LaVergne Lake Elementary has slipped from the 27th to 19th. Lavergne High School posts a strong 94.2% graduation rate, but its math proficiency is alarmingly low, with just 9.4% of students proficient in Algebra I and 16.3% in Algebra II—far below the district's 39.9% and 47.1%.

One misleading bright spot: LaVergne Middle School's 80% Algebra I proficiency looks impressive but reflects only select advanced 8th graders; those same students actually trail the district's 97.3% proficiency for that specific group. Chronic absenteeism is a red flag at the middle and high school levels, with both LaVergne Middle (17.8%) and Lavergne High (17.9%) near the state average. High spending does not guarantee results—Roy L Waldron Elementary spends $14,826 per student but posts the lowest scores in the area, while Rock Springs spends $11,570 and achieves the best outcomes. For parents, the data suggests that Rock Springs is the strongest choice academically, while the secondary schools offer solid graduation outcomes but significant academic gaps, particularly in math.