Summary:
Zip code 38473 in Minor Hill, TN, is served by a single PK–8 school: Minor Hill School, which enrolls 307 students and belongs to Giles County Schools, a district ranked 90th out of 141 in Tennessee. As the only school in the area, Minor Hill serves as both the neighborhood elementary and middle school, and its performance is best understood in comparison to district and state averages.
Academically, the school’s clearest strength is mathematics, particularly in the middle grades. Seventh-grade math proficiency (55.6%) and eighth-grade math proficiency (59.4%) exceed state averages by more than 15 percentage points, and fourth-grade math (67.4%) also stands out well above the district and state. However, results are uneven by grade and subject. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency is just 27.8%, far below the state average of 39.8%, while seventh-grade ELA rebounds to 51.9%. Social studies is similarly inconsistent, with an excellent 66.7% proficiency in seventh grade but only 33.3% in sixth grade. Overall, all-grade proficiency is near or above state averages in math (49.1% vs. 43.0%), slightly below in ELA (39.8% vs. 40.6%), and essentially even in science. Chronic absenteeism at 11.7% is notably better than both the district (14.1%) and state (18.3%).
The most concerning trend is the school’s recent decline. After ranking in the 75th and 72nd percentiles statewide in prior years, Minor Hill fell to the 49th percentile in 2025–26, a drop of roughly 265 places. Every subject declined year over year, with science falling the most (−9.8 points). Per-student spending is high at $18,328, which is typical of small rural schools with fixed operational costs, but the recent test-score slide raises questions about current effectiveness. Overall, Minor Hill School offers strong middle-school math and good attendance, but families should be aware of the variability across grade levels and the need to reverse the recent downward trend.
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