Best High Schools in Zip Code 37221

ZIP code 37221 in Nashville, Tennessee is served by one high school, James Lawson High School, which enrolls 1,393 students in grades 9–12 as part of Metro Nashville Public Schools. This single-school area presents a clear paradox: the school excels at graduating students but struggles with chronic absenteeism and academic proficiency in key subjects.

James Lawson High School posts a graduation rate of 92.8%—above both the district (83.4%) and the state (90.5%)—and a dropout rate of 6.9%, dramatically better than the district's 15.2% and nearly identical to the state average of 6.7%. However, chronic absenteeism is a serious red flag: 37.5% of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, compared to 23.3% for the district and 18.3% statewide. Academically, proficiency rates fall well below state averages in nearly every tested subject. The weakest areas are U.S. History (16.4% proficient vs. 42.4% statewide), Integrated Math I (15.5% vs. 30.2%), and Integrated Math III (17.6% vs. 33.0%). The school has also slipped in its statewide percentile ranking, falling from the 28th percentile in 2023–24 to the 22nd percentile in 2025–26.

There are pockets of strength worth noting. Biology I proficiency (40.7%) exceeds the district average (37.7%), though grade-level data show a sharp split between 9th graders (45.6% proficient) and 10th graders (13.3%). Similarly, students in accelerated math pathways perform near state averages—83.3% of 9th graders in Integrated Math II are proficient, essentially matching the state's 81.1%—while students in standard-level courses lag significantly. This suggests the school's low math averages are driven largely by students who were not placed in accelerated tracks. With per-student spending of $16,116, the school has resources available, but the two most urgent priorities are reducing absenteeism and strengthening math and history instruction. Relative to other Metro Nashville high schools, James Lawson does an exceptional job keeping students on track to graduate—the challenge now is ensuring those graduates leave with strong academic mastery.