Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38401

Zip code 38401 contains 12 schools serving roughly 6,491 students within the Maury County Schools district, spanning six elementary schools, two middle schools, and four high schools (including alternative and virtual options), with overall district performance ranking in the 40th percentile statewide. The standout schools in this area are J.R. Baker Elementary School (76th percentile, 4 stars) and J.E. Woodard Elementary School (64th percentile), both far outpacing district averages in math and reading; Woodard also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at 10.5%. At the high school level, Spring Hill High School is the clear winner, ranking in the 68th percentile with a 90.8% graduation rate, while Columbia Central High School lags badly with only a 13th percentile ranking, an 81.2% graduation rate, and a 12.6% dropout rate. The most concerning schools are E.A. Cox Middle School (6th percentile) and Riverside Elementary School (6th percentile), where proficiency rates in core subjects fall below 20%.

Chronic absenteeism is a clear warning sign across the district, averaging 21.5% compared to the state average of 18.3%. The two highest-spending elementary schools — J. Brown Elementary School and Riverside — are among the lowest performers, while Woodard spends the least per student yet achieves strong results, suggesting money alone doesn't drive outcomes. The split between the two comprehensive high schools is stark: Spring Hill outperforms Columbia Central by 20-30 percentage points in nearly every subject, exposing major intra-district inequity for families in the same zip code. Both middle schools — Whitthorne Middle School and E.A. Cox — score below state averages in all subjects, indicating a systemic middle-grade challenge. Alternative options like Northfield Academy and Virtual Academy of Maury County struggle with very high absenteeism (37.9% and 27%), making their academic results hard to evaluate.

For parents, the key takeaway is that school choice matters enormously in this zip code. J.R. Baker and J.E. Woodard provide strong elementary foundations, and Spring Hill High is a reliable path to graduation, but families zoned for Riverside, E.A. Cox, or Columbia Central may face significant challenges. The data points to attendance as a critical lever: schools with lower absenteeism consistently outperform their peers, and closing the attendance gap at the weaker feeder schools could help improve outcomes across the district.