Summary:
ZIP code 38251 in rural Puryear, Tennessee, is served by a single public school, Dorothy and Noble Harrelson School, a Pre-K through 8th grade campus with 425 students in the highly rated Henry County Schools district, which ranks in the top quartile of Tennessee districts.
Dorothy and Noble Harrelson School is a solid, above-average choice for families seeking a single campus covering elementary and middle school years. It outperforms both the district and state in every tested subject, with particularly strong results in Social Studies (62.8% proficient) and Math (53.6% proficient). The school has earned a 3-star state ranking for three consecutive years and sits in the 67th percentile of Tennessee schools. Several grade levels shine well above state averages, including 8th grade Science (70.8% vs. 44.3% statewide), 8th grade Math (62.5% vs. 38.3%), and 4th grade Math (70.2% vs. 49.4%). Chronic absenteeism is also a positive: at 15.5%, the school beats both the district (16.6%) and state (18.3%) averages, suggesting consistent attendance and engaged students.
However, the school's overall averages hide some notable weak spots. While 8th grade science is excellent, 5th grade science (33.3%) and 6th grade science (32.5%) both fall far below state averages of 46.5% and 48.0%, respectively. Social Studies shows a dramatic split, too: 7th and 8th graders post excellent scores of 75.6% and 72.9%, but 6th grade drops to just 37.5% — more than 38 points below the school's own 7th grade result. The school also saw a remarkable 12.8-point jump in all-grades Social Studies proficiency from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, which could reflect a curriculum shift or cohort differences. Per-student spending is $15,466, and the data does not include free/reduced lunch or student-teacher ratios. Overall, this is a strong school with clear academic highlights and a few targeted grade-level areas that deserve attention.
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