Schools in Zip Code 37115

ZIP code 37115 in Madison, Tennessee contains 8 schools serving approximately 3,360 students in grades PK-8 — 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and no high schools. Most schools belong to Metro Nashville Public Schools, while LEAD Neely's Bend School operates as a charter under the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission. Academic performance across the area is strained, with average school-level proficiency rates in math (22.0%), ELA (19.7%), and science (21.7%) running roughly 20-25 points below state averages.

Smithson Craighead Academy is the most improved school, climbing from the 11th to the 32nd percentile and posting the ZIP's highest ELA proficiency at 40.1% — nearly matching the state average of 40.6%. Gateway Elementary leads the area in math at 37.9%, above the district average of 32.4%, and has the second-lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 12.8%. LEAD Neely's Bend School is the clear middle-school standout, with 32.5% math proficiency, 41.8% social studies, the lowest chronic absenteeism in the entire area (11.6%), and consistent year-over-year improvement in every subject. Madison Middle School is the opposite extreme: 6.5% math proficiency, 9.9% ELA, and a 31.6% chronic absenteeism rate, placing it in the bottom 3% of Tennessee middle schools.

Attendance strongly tracks performance across the ZIP — the schools with the best attendance are also the strongest academically, while the worst-attendance schools are among the weakest. Grade-level spikes suggest cohort effects rather than systemic strength: Gateway's 4th grade math (57.7%) far exceeds its 3rd grade math (20.0%), and Smithson's 3rd grade ELA (61.8%) drops to 13.6% by 5th grade. Higher spending does not guarantee results; Smithson spends the most ($26,874 per student) but Gateway achieves top math scores near the average spending level. With no high schools in the ZIP, the PK-8 programs at Amqui Elementary and Neely's Bend Elementary give families partial alternatives to Madison Middle School, though LEAD remains the strongest middle-grades option in the area.