The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Social studies. The lowest is 31% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on E O Coffman Middle School
E O Coffman Middle School serves grades six through eight as the sole public middle school in the Lawrence County school system, located in the county seat of Lawrenceburg. For a family considering this school, the picture that emerges is of a mid-sized regular public school in a small Southern town, where academic performance is uneven across subjects and where some key context about student needs is simply not available in the public data.
On state assessments, the school’s results show a clear split. In science and social studies, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above, a share that aligns with what many middle schools report nationally for those subjects. In mathematics, the proficient share is notably lower, and in English language arts it is lower still, with fewer than a third of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark. A parent would want to look into this further with the school, particularly around how the school supports literacy and numeracy in the middle grades, and whether there are specific interventions or programs in place to raise those outcomes. Participation in testing was complete, so the results reflect nearly the entire student body.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Information that would help a family understand the level of economic need among students, such as free or reduced-price meal eligibility, is missing from the available data, as are counts of students with disabilities or English learners. Without those figures, it is difficult to assess the breadth of support services the school may be providing. The same gap applies to discipline, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns; those fields were not reported here.
Lawrenceburg itself is a small city with a historic downtown square that features a statue of David Crockett, antique shops, museums, and the Crockett Theatre. The town has a mix of residential neighborhoods, a state park within city limits, and commercial corridors along the main highways. Home values in the area are below the national typical, and rents are moderate compared to national averages, which may factor into a family’s housing decision. The community has seen modest population growth in recent years, and the city’s messaging emphasizes continued development. The school sits on its own campus rather than downtown, which is typical for schools in a town of this size.
Because Coffman is the only public middle school in Lawrence County, there is no in-county comparison to draw on. The district itself did not have any major parent-relevant changes reported in recent public sources, so the school appears to be operating under stable conditions for now.
For a parent, the core question likely revolves around the academic trajectory. The school’s math and English scores suggest that many students are not yet at grade-level proficiency by state standards, and a family would want to learn how the school identifies students who are behind and what supports are provided. The stronger science and social studies results indicate that some subjects are working better. Without data on special populations or economic disadvantage, it is hard to know whether the school serves a high-need population or a more resourced one, which makes it all the more important to visit and ask those questions directly. The setting is a small, walkable downtown town with a slower pace, and the school is likely a central fixture in the community.
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