Summary:
Zip code 37866 is served by a single public elementary school, Sharps Chapel Elementary School, which enrolls 127 students in grades PK through 5 in the rural community of Sharps Chapel, Tennessee. The school is part of Union County Schools, a district currently ranked 124th out of 141 Tennessee districts with a 1-star rating, making this small elementary school a notable bright spot in an otherwise low-ranked district.
Sharps Chapel Elementary significantly outperforms its district in every subject and grade band. On the latest TNReady tests, the school exceeded district proficiency rates by wide margins: 29.4% vs. 20.2% in math, 46.0% vs. 27.6% in English language arts, and 56.9% vs. 34.2% in science. While math proficiency still trails the state average of 43.0%, the school surpasses the state in both ELA and science. A striking pattern emerges by grade level: 3rd grade math proficiency is just 5.9%, but rises to 31.6% in 4th grade and 53.3% in 5th grade, outpacing the state in 5th grade math. Similar upward trends appear in ELA (23.5% to 64.3%) and science (35.3% to 73.3%), with 5th grade science exceeding the state average by nearly 27 points. This consistent grade-level growth suggests strong instructional gains in upper elementary, though cohort differences may also play a role.
Beyond academics, the school posted a 14.2% chronic absenteeism rate, lower than both the district (16.3%) and state (18.3%), and its state ranking improved from the 40th percentile (2 stars) to the 53rd percentile (3 stars) in the latest year. Per-pupil spending is high at $20,947, likely reflecting small-school economics in a rural area. The school made dramatic year-over-year gains in ELA (+10.2 points) and science (+10.6 points), though math dipped slightly. The main area of concern is 3rd grade math, which warrants early intervention, but with no middle or high schools in this ZIP code, families should plan for a transition to secondary schools elsewhere in Union County.
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