Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 37407

Zip code 37407 is served by a single middle school, East Lake Academy Of Fine Arts, which enrolls 549 students in grades 6–8 under the Hamilton County Schools district. Because there is no other middle school in the zip code, all comparisons must be made against the district and statewide averages rather than neighboring schools.

Academically, East Lake Academy ranks 519th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools, placing it in the bottom 13% with a 1-star rating. Proficiency rates are dramatically below state averages in every subject: mathematics (16.2% vs. 43.0% statewide), English Language Arts (8.5% vs. 40.6%), science (22.8% vs. 46.9%), and social studies (24.5% vs. 51.4%). English Language Arts is the most urgent concern, with fewer than 1 in 10 students proficient, and specific grade-level weaknesses stand out: only 7.3% of 7th graders are proficient in math, just 8.0% of 8th graders are proficient in ELA, and only 17.2% of 8th graders are proficient in social studies. There is some positive momentum, as every subject improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, with science gaining 6.6 points, and the school's state percentile rose from 8th to 13th. Chronic absenteeism at 17.5% is essentially in line with the district (17.1%) and slightly below the state (18.3%).

The most striking finding is the combination of high spending and low outcomes. East Lake Academy spends $21,576 per student, a substantial figure that stands in sharp contrast to its proficiency rates, raising questions about cost-effectiveness and resource allocation. The fine arts designation does not appear to confer an academic advantage in the core subjects measured here. While the year-over-year improvements are encouraging, they remain far too small to close the enormous gaps with district and state averages. The school's upward trend and high per-student investment make it an important case for examining how funds are used, where instructional support is targeted, and what interventions might lift the particularly vulnerable grade-level and subject-area combinations.