Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38483

Zip code 38483, serving Summertown, Tennessee, contains 3 schools within the Lawrence County Schools district. The three schools—Summertown Elementary School, Summertown Middle School, and Summertown High School—serve grades PK through 12 with a combined enrollment of 1,175 students. The district itself is ranked 51st out of 141 districts in Tennessee, placing it in the 64th percentile with a 3-star rating.

Summertown Elementary School is the clear standout in this area. It ranks in the 74th percentile statewide (4 stars) and is the only school in the zip code that consistently posts above-district and above-state proficiency in all core subjects, with a math proficiency rate of 60.4%—17.4 percentage points above the state average. Summertown Middle School has shown the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 32nd percentile to the 59th–63rd percentile over two years, though its math, ELA, and science scores still trail district and state averages. Summertown High School presents a two-tier academic profile: it excels in English II (67.1% proficiency), Geometry (52.5%), and US History (48.5%), but Algebra I proficiency is alarmingly low at just 27.0%, with Biology I and English I also lagging behind.

Attendance challenges grow significantly with age. Chronic absenteeism rises from 8.4% at the elementary school to 12.3% at the middle school and 18.7% at the high school—more than double the elementary rate. The high school's graduation rate of 85.6% far exceeds the district average of 62.6% but remains below the state's 90.5%. Spending varies notably, with the high school spending $14,122 per student compared to $11,887 at the elementary and $11,536 at the middle school, yet the middle school showed the biggest ranking improvement despite spending the least. Overall, these schools form a strong elementary foundation, but math and science proficiency declines as students advance through middle and high school, suggesting targeted intervention at the transition points is needed to sustain academic success.