South Gibson County Middle School, Medina TN

Original Research by School Decision on South Gibson County Middle School

South Gibson County Middle School serves grades five through eight in Medina, Tennessee, and is part of the Gibson County Special School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school serves a sizable student body for a middle school, drawing from a community that has seen rapid residential growth.

Academically, the school turns in strong results on the Tennessee state assessments. In mathematics, a solid majority of students score proficient or above. In English language arts, just over half reach that bar. The strongest subjects are science and social studies, where close to three-quarters or more of students demonstrate proficiency. Participation on test days is nearly universal. When compared against other districts in Gibson County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects lands among the highest. For a family weighing academic foundations, this is a clear strength: the school consistently performs above the county midpoint on the measures that matter most for middle-grade readiness.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller but present shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. The available data do not report the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor the share receiving special education services or English learner supports. A parent who wants the full picture of economic diversity or targeted services would need to ask the school directly for those numbers, as the typical state sources do not show them here.

Medina itself is a fast-growing small town in West Tennessee. The city’s population has expanded significantly in recent years, with active annexation and new home construction stretching along the Highway 45 corridor. Most employed residents commute to jobs elsewhere, likely in Jackson or other centers, and median home values sit above the state average. The town has a traditional Main Street and a cluster of civic offices near the highway, but little public transit and few large employers of its own. Much of daily life is car-dependent.

The school belongs to the Gibson County Special School District, which serves Medina and other communities in the county. A recent local sales tax increase in Medina, passed in 2025, directs additional revenue to district schools. Separately, Tennessee’s third-grade retention law, which ties grade promotion to reading test scores, applies district-wide; while this middle school does not serve third grade, families with younger children in the district will feel its effects.

Program offerings beyond the core academics—such as electives, arts, athletics, or career exploration—are not detailed in the available records. Nor is there public discipline data or staffing ratios. For a parent trying to understand the full range of experience their child would have, these are gaps worth exploring on a school visit or by contacting the administration.

In short, South Gibson County Middle School offers a solid academic record in a growing, family-oriented small town, with performance that stands out favorably within the county. The missing pieces are typical of what a parent can probe directly: economic and special-population demographics, program depth, and the finer texture of the school environment. The school itself is well positioned to answer those questions.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-863%

School 63% · District 59% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-853%

School 53% · District 50% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-873%

School 73% · District 62% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-878%

School 78% · District 70% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

This schoolGibson Co Sp Dist, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income45%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income43%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income59%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income62%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income47%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income12%Higher-income55%43 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income30%Higher-income55%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income64%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income66%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income62%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income62%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income66%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income70%28 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income41%Higher-income65%25 pp gap