Summary:
ZIP code 37187 contains exactly one middle school, W James Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 for 239 students in White Bluff, Tennessee, as part of Dickson County Schools. This makes W James the sole middle school hub for the area, so the most meaningful comparisons are against the district and state rather than other local schools. The district is ranked 54th out of 141 districts in Tennessee, carrying a 3-star rating.
Academically, this small school shows a clear split in performance. In the 2025–2026 school year, W James students posted strong results in Science (58.3% proficient) and Social Studies (61.4% proficient), both well above Tennessee state averages. The standout is 7th grade Social Studies, where 80.2% of students are proficient, far exceeding the district (66.4%) and state (56.0%). However, the school trails in Mathematics (33.8%) and English Language Arts (33.2%), both below district and state averages. Math proficiency also declines steadily as students advance, falling from 41.3% in 6th grade to just 28.1% in 8th grade. The overall state ranking has dropped from 131st to 203rd over the past three years, with the star rating falling from 4 stars to 3.
On a positive note, chronic absenteeism at W James is a relative strength at 14.9%, better than the Tennessee state average of 18.3%, though slightly above the district average of 13.6%. Per-student spending is $14,256, and with only 239 students, proficiency percentages can shift noticeably from year to year, so changes in test scores should be interpreted with some caution. While the school has clear strengths in Science and Social Studies, addressing the weaknesses in Math and ELA will be essential for reversing its recent decline and restoring its standing.
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