Schools in Zip Code 38482

Zip code 38482 (Santa Fe, TN) is served by a single school, Santa Fe Unit School, a PK-12 institution with 553 students under the Maury County Schools district. Because this is the only school in the area, all comparisons are against the district and state averages. Despite being labeled as an “Alternative” school, Santa Fe Unit School operates as a comprehensive K-12 unit school and consistently outperforms its district across most tested subjects. In all-grade proficiency, it beats the state in Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Biology I, English I, English II, and Geometry, while trailing in Algebra I and Algebra II.

The school’s strongest results appear in middle school. Eighth grade math proficiency is 63.9% versus a state average of 38.3%, and seventh grade science reaches 60.4% compared to 47.8% statewide. Social studies is also a standout, with 8th grade scoring 61.1% against the state’s 47.6%. Geometry at 56.4% exceeds the state by 14 points, and English II at 68.3% is well above the state’s 58.1%. The clear weakness is algebra: Algebra I proficiency is just 25.5% (state 32.3%) and Algebra II is 22.2% (state 37.3%), with 10th grade Algebra II sitting nearly 39 points below the state. This contrast suggests a curriculum or student grouping that favors geometry over algebra.

Other key metrics show a mixed picture. The graduation rate of 88.6% is above the district’s 86.7% but below the state’s 90.5%, while the dropout rate of 9.1% is higher than both district and state. Chronic absenteeism, however, is impressively low at 12.6% versus 18.3% statewide, indicating strong daily attendance. The school has also shown substantial academic gains in recent years, with all-grade ELA jumping by 9.4 points and Geometry improving by 15.9 points. Per-student spending is $13,487 for 2024-2025. Overall, Santa Fe Unit School is a high-performing rural school with notable strengths in middle school subjects and geometry, but algebra readiness and dropout rates remain areas to watch.