Summary:
Zip code 38133 is served by five public schools – two elementary schools and three middle schools, with no high schools or alternative schools – enrolling a total of 3,706 students across two very different districts: Memphis-Shelby County Schools and Bartlett City Schools. This split is the defining story of the area: Bartlett City Schools ranks in the 89th percentile statewide, while Memphis-Shelby County Schools ranks in the 3rd percentile.
Among the elementary schools, Bon Lin Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 91st percentile of Tennessee elementary schools with math proficiency of 69.1% and ELA proficiency of 66.9%, both far above state averages. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 8.7% is the lowest in the zip code. In contrast, Kate Bond Elementary School ranks only in the 20th percentile, with math proficiency of 23.9%. At the middle school level, Bon Lin Middle School is the top performer (90th percentile, 58.5% math proficiency), followed by Appling Middle School (72nd percentile, 51.9% math proficiency) and Kate Bond Middle School (18th percentile, 15.5% math proficiency).
Several patterns stand out. Elementary schools outperform their feeder middle schools in both districts, and the drop is steepest for Bon Lin ELA, falling from 66.9% to 45.6%. Chronic absenteeism tracks performance closely: the highest-performing schools have rates near 10% or below, while Kate Bond Middle School has 21.1% absenteeism and the lowest scores. Notably, spending per student does not predict success – Kate Bond Elementary School spends the most ($15,175 per student) yet ranks in the bottom quintile, while Bon Lin Middle School spends the least ($12,270) and earns five stars. Finally, Kate Bond Elementary School has been steadily declining over three years, from the 31st to the 20th percentile, while the Bon Lin schools remain consistently excellent.
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