The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Science. The lowest is 56% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Finley Elementary
Finley Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the rural unincorporated community of Finley, Tennessee, in the Mississippi River alluvial plain of Dyer County. The school anchors a small community that also includes four churches, a post office, and a volunteer fire department, with agricultural fields of cotton and soybeans surrounding residential neighborhoods. There is no formal downtown or separated campus; the school is embedded in the life of the place. Students who finish fifth grade move on to Dyer County High School in Newbern, a separate community.
The student body at Finley Elementary is relatively small for an elementary school in this part of the state. The vast majority of students are white, with a very small share of Hispanic students and an even smaller share of Black students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic need and the kinds of support available for students who need extra help.
On state assessments administered by Tennessee, Finley Elementary’s students performed at levels that placed the school well above the midpoint among districts in Dyer County. In math, a majority of students tested scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, a similar majority scored proficient or above. In science, the share of students scoring proficient or above was higher still. The school saw full participation in testing across these subjects. Past social studies data is available from several years ago but is not comparable to current results due to changes in the test and scoring standards, so no reliable picture of current social studies performance can be drawn from that older data. Overall, the proficiency picture at Finley Elementary is solid, with strength in science standing out, and the school's combined performance across tested subjects placed it in the top tier when compared to other schools in the county.
Housing in Finley is notably affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values have seen a modest recent decline, and the local cost of housing is low enough that owning a home costs less than renting in comparable markets on a monthly basis, even with current mortgage rates. The area’s median household income is below the national figure, which is consistent with the region’s agricultural economic base. No major new housing developments or commercial projects were identified in search results, and population counts from different sources conflict, making the growth trajectory unclear. The community lacks formal municipal governance; development is managed through Dyer County’s planning and zoning.
The district itself reported no significant recent changes in publicly available information. No notable shifts in leadership, boundaries, programming, or facilities were found that would affect a family’s decision about this school.
For a family, Finley Elementary offers a small, rural elementary setting with above-average academic results on state tests, particularly in science, for the county. The community is quiet and dispersed, with limited commercial amenities and a long drive to Dyersburg for most services and employment. The school is at the center of local civic life, and the early grades are well represented in the enrollment, though the full picture of student subgroup performance and support services would require a conversation with the school to fill in gaps the data leaves open.
See more original research from School Decision →