Best Public Schools in Zip Code 37185

Zip code 37185 in Waverly, Tennessee, is served by three public schools in the Humphreys County Schools district (ranked 79th out of 141 Tennessee districts), spanning grades PK through 12 with a combined enrollment of 1,296 students. Waverly Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 81st percentile of Tennessee elementary schools with a 4-star rating and significantly outperforming district and state averages in math (64.3% vs. 43.0% state) and science (61.9% vs. 46.9% state). Waverly Junior High School is the district's biggest concern, ranking in only the 26th percentile with a 1-star rating for three consecutive years, while Waverly Central High School is improving, climbing from the 43rd to 52nd percentile and earning 3 stars.

Academic performance drops dramatically between elementary and middle school. Third grade math proficiency at Waverly Elementary is 64.3%, but 7th grade math at Waverly Junior High is just 6.5%. The junior high trails the state in every core subject, including ELA (22.5% vs. 40.6%) and math (28.6% vs. 43.0%). The high school shows a mixed picture: it beats the state in Biology I (54.1% vs. 49.8%) and Geometry (45.9% vs. 42.3%) but falls well short in Algebra I (16.7% vs. 32.3%). Chronic absenteeism is elevated across all three schools, with Waverly Central High at 27.7%, the junior high at 22.6%, and the elementary school at 20.7%, all exceeding the state rate of 18.3%.

Notably, Waverly Junior High receives the least funding per student ($11,026) despite having the greatest academic needs, compared with $13,737 at the high school and $13,673 at the elementary school. The high school's graduation rate of 84.3% trails the state average of 90.5%. Waverly Elementary and Waverly Junior High share the same campus, making the sharp proficiency drop between grades 3 and 4 even more striking. The district's middling overall rank masks a highly uneven school-level experience, but the trajectory is positive: the high school improved significantly in nearly every subject, and the junior high improved in all four core subjects. The middle school remains the district's most urgent priority.