Summary:
Zip code 37218 in Nashville, Tennessee, contains two public schools—Cumberland Elementary School (K-5, 452 students) and Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts (6-8, 269 students)—both part of Metro Nashville Public Schools, a district ranked 126th out of 141 in Tennessee with a 1-star rating. No high schools exist in this zip code, so students leave the area after 8th grade.
The two schools sit at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. Creswell is the clear standout, ranking in the 32nd percentile of Tennessee middle schools with a 2-star rating and an upward trend. It shines in advanced math, with 81.8% of Integrated Math I students scoring proficient or better, and in social studies at 50.4% proficiency, nearly matching the state. However, standard math proficiency is just 13.7% and science 26.9%. Cumberland Elementary, meanwhile, ranks in the 1st percentile (1007th of 1019) with a 0-star rating. Proficiency rates are extremely low—10.2% in math, 12.9% in ELA, 15.7% in science—with no improvement from last year.
The sharpest contrast is attendance: Cumberland's chronic absenteeism is 35.8%, double the state average, while Creswell's is 17.9%, slightly better than the state. This likely fuels the academic gap. Creswell's 6th graders are a clear strength, with 60.3% social studies proficiency and 39.7% ELA proficiency, and the school's advanced math track shows it can accelerate high performers. Cumberland, despite spending $18,506 per student, remains near the bottom of Tennessee schools, indicating that attendance and engagement—not just funding—need attention. Both schools operate within a district ranked in the 11th percentile, a key context for setting expectations.
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