South Lawrence Elementary, Loretto TN

Original Research by School Decision on South Lawrence Elementary

South Lawrence Elementary is a regular public school in Loretto, Tennessee, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the Lawrence County school district. The school sits in a small, historic town that originated as a stagecoach stop and later grew around German Catholic immigrant settlement and a lumber industry. Loretto’s downtown commercial core declined after a major highway was built to the east of the district in the 1940s, shifting activity away from the old center. Manufacturing, health care, and food service are the largest employment sectors locally. The town is growing slowly, and the area remains car-dependent with a rural Southern character.

The student body is overwhelmingly white, with very small numbers of Asian, Black, and Hispanic students enrolled. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were figures on students with disabilities or English learners. A parent seeking to understand the school’s economic or special-education context will want to ask the school directly for that information, since it is not publicly reported.

South Lawrence Elementary serves a wide grade span, from the early childhood years through the end of middle school. This means a child could attend the same campus from pre-K through the end of eighth grade, which some families prefer for continuity. The school is not a charter school. No information was found about magnet programs or Title I status.

On state assessments, which are administered in grades three through eight, the school’s results present a mixed picture. In math, roughly half of tested students scored at the proficient level or above. In English language arts, the share was lower, with under half of students reaching proficiency. In science, a little over half of students scored proficient or above. In social studies, about half were proficient. These results come from the Tennessee TNReady assessments and participation was complete. The school does not have high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible from this evidence to say whether performance has been improving or declining.

Compared to other districts in Lawrence County, the data set was too small to place the school’s proficiency index in a meaningful rank, so no comparative positioning is available. Parents looking for a benchmark may need to look at school-level results directly in their own context.

The school environment and access data did not include discipline rates, staffing ratios, or attendance figures. Course access information was also absent. A parent investigating school climate or support resources will need to seek those details from the school or district, as they are not published in the available records.

Housing in the area is priced below national and state medians. Home values have been rising modestly. The typical mortgage payment for a median-priced home in the ZIP code is estimated to be manageable relative to national household income, though actual local incomes may vary. Rent is similarly below national averages. The local economy shows an unemployment rate near the national figure.

South Lawrence Elementary offers a full pre-K through middle school pathway in a small-town setting where the student population is racially homogeneous and the school’s academic results show a strength in science and social studies relative to math and reading. The lack of publicly available data on economic disadvantage, special education, discipline, and staffing means families will need to engage directly with the school to get a fuller picture of student support and school climate. The town is growing slowly and has a modest housing market, which may suit families looking for a quieter, lower-cost area in southern Tennessee.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grades 3-851%

School 51% · District 45% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grades 3-844%

School 44% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-854%

School 54% · District 48% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-852%

School 52% · District 48% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolLawrence County, 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-income42%Higher-income70%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income61%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income37%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income49%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income53%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income27%11 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income33%Higher-income50%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income74%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income36%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income63%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income55%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income58%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income52%14 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income40%Higher-income58%18 pp gap