Summary:
Zip code 38063, located in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, is served by a single middle school option: Ripley Middle School, which enrolls 477 students in grades 6–8 as part of Lauderdale County Schools. Ripley Middle School has consistently earned a 1-star rating, but it is showing real momentum: its state percentile rank has more than doubled from the 11th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 23rd percentile in 2025–2026, placing it 458th out of 594 Tennessee middle schools. The school also posted impressive year-over-year gains across all core subjects, with math proficiency jumping from 16.7% to 24.4% and English language arts rising from 16.8% to 24.0% in a single year.
The clearest bright spot is Algebra I. Ripley Middle's Algebra I proficiency rate of 52.6% is more than 20 points above the state average (32.3%) and a remarkable 35 points above the district average (17.6%). This is especially striking because proficiency in grade-level math sits at just 24.4%. In the other core subjects — math, ELA, science, and social studies — the school remains below both district and state averages, with gaps of roughly 16 to 19 points compared with the state. Still, the upward trend in every subject suggests instructional improvements may be taking hold.
The most pressing concern is a sharp 8th-grade drop-off. While 6th and 7th graders score between 24% and 43% proficiency across subjects, 8th-grade proficiency falls to just 11.8% in math, 18.6% in ELA, 15.5% in science, and 17.8% in social studies. Higher-performing 8th graders appear to be taking Algebra I, which may be pulling strong math students out of the grade-level testing pool. Chronic absenteeism is 19.1%, slightly above the state's 18.3% but below the district's 22.3%. Per-student spending is $12,845, which is relatively high given the school's overall performance. Ripley Middle is a school in transition — it has clear areas of strength to build on, but targeted support for 8th graders will be critical going forward.
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