Summary:
Zip code 37148 (Portland, TN) is served by two middle schools—Portland West Middle School and Portland East Middle School—both covering grades 6–8 within Sumner County Schools, a strong 4-star district ranked 33rd in Tennessee.
In the latest rankings, Portland East Middle School is the overall standout, ranking 163rd out of 594 Tennessee middle schools (4 stars) compared to Portland West Middle School’s 185th place (3 stars). East’s edge comes from science (49.9% vs. 46.3%) and social studies (56.7% vs. 50.1%). However, West is stronger in math (47.9% vs. 46.4%) and ELA (43.5% vs. 40.7%), so the “best” school depends on subject priorities. Both schools trail their district averages in every subject but generally exceed state averages—East is above state in all four subjects, while West is above state in math and ELA but slightly below in science and social studies. Both also improved considerably year-over-year, with East posting a remarkable +11.9-point jump in social studies and West gaining +7.8 in ELA and +7.5 in science.
Chronic absenteeism is nearly identical at about 16.2–16.3%, which is higher than the district’s 12.2% but lower than the state’s 18.3%. Per-student spending differs, with East at $14,511 versus West’s $13,754. A clear bright spot for both schools is 8th grade math: West hits 58.6% and East 57.3% proficient, nearly 20 points above the state average. A shared weakness is 7th grade science, where both fall below the state average. East’s lowest single score is 8th grade ELA at 33.1%, just above the state’s 32.3%. Overall, families in zip 37148 have two solid mid-to-upper-tier schools that outperform the state in key areas, though both lag their high-performing district—so context matters when evaluating these results.
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