Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 37209

Zip code 37209 in Nashville is home to two middle schools — Nashville Prep School (grades 5–8) and Moses McKissack Middle School (grades 6–8) — both part of Metro Nashville Public Schools, a district ranked 126th out of 141 in Tennessee. Neither school is a high performer in absolute terms: both rank in the bottom 16th percentile of Tennessee middle schools. However, they are not stagnant. Moses McKissack has shown the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 3rd percentile in 2023–24 to the 16th percentile in 2025–26, with large gains in science (+10.7 points) and social studies (+9.2 points). Nashville Prep also improved in every subject, especially social studies (+13.2 points) and science (+7.8 points), and it leads McKissack in math, science, and social studies proficiency while spending nearly $12,000 less per student ($15,824 vs. $27,891).

Both schools remain far below district and state averages in all tested subjects. The largest gaps are in math: Nashville Prep sits 29.5 points below the state average, and Moses McKissack is 30.4 points below. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, with Nashville Prep at 26.2% and McKissack at 28.2%, both well above the state rate of 18.3%. Grade-level patterns reveal different strengths: McKissack’s 8th graders outperform Nashville Prep’s 8th graders in every subject with reported data, while Nashville Prep’s 7th graders post strong science and social studies scores. Nashville Prep’s 5th grade is a concern, with only 7.7% proficient in math and 8.3% in ELA.

For parents, the key takeaway is that both schools face significant challenges, but they are making consistent progress. Moses McKissack is the most improved school and has a slightly higher overall rank, while Nashville Prep offers stronger test scores in most subjects at a much lower cost per student. The higher spending at McKissack may reflect the costs of running a very small school (114 students), but it still raises questions about resource efficiency. Missing data on free/reduced lunch and student-teacher ratios makes it harder to fully assess the schools, but the low proficiency rates and high absenteeism are clear warning signs that both schools need continued support.