Summary:
Zip code 38580, located in the Rickman, Tennessee area, is served by a single PK–8 school: Rickman Elementary School, which enrolls 707 students within the Overton County Schools district. With no other schools in the zip code to compare against, the most useful frame of reference is how Rickman Elementary School stacks up against its district and the state of Tennessee.
Rickman Elementary School is a clear bright spot within a district that ranks in the 40th percentile statewide. The school outperforms Overton County Schools in every core subject (Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies) and hits or exceeds state averages in ELA, Science, and Social Studies. Science and Social Studies are particular strengths: 50.6% of students are proficient in Science (vs. 46.9% statewide) and 54.3% are proficient in Social Studies (vs. 51.4% statewide), with 6th grade Social Studies posting a 10-point advantage over the state. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at just 8.7%, less than half the district rate of 17.8% and the state rate of 18.3%, and strong attendance likely supports these results.
That said, Rickman Elementary School has seen a troubling downward trend. State rank slipped from the 73rd percentile (4 stars) in 2023–2024 to the 62nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026, and proficiency declined across every subject from the prior year, with Math falling 8.2 points. Math is now below the state average (40.4% vs. 43.0%), and the drop-off is sharpest in middle school: 3rd grade Math is 33.3%, 6th grade 33.3%, and 8th grade 31.2% — nearly 10 points below the district average. ELA also fades in the upper grades, with 7th (31.8%) and 8th grade (29.9%) both below state averages. Per-student spending is $10,608, so the school is not under-resourced; the most urgent opportunity is diagnosing why middle school Math and ELA performance declines so sharply after strong elementary grades.
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