Summary:
ZIP code 38008 is served by a single elementary school: Bolivar Elementary School, which enrolls 670 students in grades PK–5 in Bolivar, Tennessee, within the Hardeman County Schools district. Because this is the only elementary school in the area, this analysis is a deep dive into that school's performance rather than a comparison among schools. Bolivar Elementary is a bright spot within a district ranked 129th out of 141 Tennessee districts, as it outperforms the district in both Math and English Language Arts on recent TNReady assessments.
Bolivar Elementary showed strong year-over-year academic improvement from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, with ELA proficiency jumping 8.9 points to 31.7%, Science rising 8.6 points to 32.1%, and Math improving 5.2 points to 29.5%. These gains lifted the school's state ranking from the 13th percentile to the 22nd percentile (795 out of 1,019 schools), though it still trails Tennessee state averages by roughly 9 to 15 points in all subjects. Grade-level data reveals a clear weakness in 4th grade, where ELA proficiency falls to just 23.3% compared with 34.8% in 3rd grade and 36.7% in 5th grade. Fifth grade is the strongest grade overall, and science proficiency improves steadily from 3rd to 5th grade.
The school continues to face challenges with chronic absenteeism, which stands at 21.6%—nearly identical to the district average of 21.5% but 3.3 points above the state average of 18.3%, meaning roughly 1 in 5 students are chronically absent. This elevated absenteeism likely remains a barrier to even faster progress. Bolivar Elementary receives a 1-star rating on SchoolDigger, but its upward trajectory is encouraging. The recent improvement in state ranking, combined with its strong performance relative to its low-ranked district, paints a cautiously optimistic picture. Sustained growth and a targeted focus on 4th-grade performance and attendance could help the school close the gap with state averages over time.
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