Summary:
Zip code 37891 is home to a single middle school: East Ridge Middle School, a grades 6–8 school in Whitesburg, Tennessee, serving 528 students as part of Hamblen County Schools. Because there is no other local middle school for comparison, the most meaningful context comes from looking at how this school stacks up against its district and the state of Tennessee.
East Ridge Middle School is a clear standout within its district and a strong performer statewide. In 2025–26, it ranked 106th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools (82nd percentile) with a 4-star rating, up from 141st the previous year. This is especially notable because Hamblen County Schools as a whole ranks only in the 48th percentile of Tennessee districts, making East Ridge a bright spot in an otherwise average district. The school's greatest strengths are Science (57.8% proficient vs. 46.9% statewide) and Social Studies (63.3% vs. 51.4% statewide), and 7th grade is particularly impressive, with math proficiency at 59.9%—nearly 21 points above the state—and social studies at 71.2%. The school improved in every subject from 2024–25 to 2025–26, with English Language Arts showing the largest gain, rising from 36.1% to 41.7% and moving from below to above the state average.
The main opportunity for growth is 8th grade math, where proficiency sits at 35.9%, below the state's 38.3% and the only subject-grade combination where the school trails Tennessee overall. ELA, while improving, remains only modestly above the state average. Chronic absenteeism stands at 17.2%, slightly higher than the district's 14.9% but lower than the state's 18.3%, suggesting attendance is not undermining achievement. Overall, East Ridge Middle School is a high-performing, improving school that substantially outpaces its district and state in most areas, with 8th grade math and continued ELA growth as the key areas to watch.
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