The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 41% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Poplar Grove 5-8
Poplar Grove 5-8 is a regular public school in Franklin, Tennessee, serving grades five through eight as part of the Franklin Special School District. It is a middle-level campus situated in a rapidly growing suburban city that functions as both a historic county seat and a major corporate hub within the Nashville metropolitan area. Because Poplar Grove serves only middle grades, there is no high school graduation rate reported here, as that metric does not apply to its grade band.
The school enrolls a student body that is roughly balanced between White students and Hispanic students, each group making up close to half of the population, with a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races, a modest representation of Black students, and small numbers of Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as counts of students with individualized education programs or English learner status, were not available in the source information.
On state assessments for grades three through eight, the data shows a mixed academic picture. In science, a clear majority of tested students scored at the proficient level or above. In social studies, roughly half of tested students reached that bar. In both English language arts and math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was lower, in each case below a simple majority. A comparison of these results across all tested subjects, using a composite measure, places the school in the bottom quartile among the districts in Williamson County, which is a county with two school districts. This county-level context matters; Williamson County districts as a group tend to post strong results, and a bottom-quartile position here still represents scores that may look different from a statewide benchmark. A parent may want to discuss with the school how its instructional approach in literacy and math connects to these outcomes.
The housing market in the school’s zip code is expensive. Home values are well above both the Tennessee state and national medians, and monthly rents are also above national norms. The typical household in the area would need a substantial income to afford a home, and renting is less expensive than buying at current mortgage rates, though both are a significant stretch for a median-earning family. This reflects Franklin’s broader economic profile: the city is home to major employers including a large health system, automotive and pet care corporations, and insurance companies, and it has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation over the past decade.
A notable recent policy change from the Franklin Special School District may affect families considering Poplar Grove. The school board expanded a tuition-based enrollment program to include families who live outside Williamson County entirely, not just those within the county but outside the district’s boundary. This means that on a space-available basis, students from beyond the county can attend district schools for a fee, which could increase competition for available seats in a district where enrollment pressure is already felt.
Poplar Grove occupies a specific niche within the Franklin school landscape: a middle school serving the intermediate grades in a high-cost, high-growth suburban city, with science as a relative strength on state tests and math and English scores that fall below the average for its affluent county. Families considering this school may want to understand how the school supports skill-building in those core subjects and to confirm that the academic program aligns with their child's needs before the transition to high school.
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