The top reported proficiency rate is 11% in Science. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on John Early Middle
John Early Middle sits in a dense urban pocket of Nashville within the Davidson County school district, serving grades six through eight. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it operates as a standard attendance-zone middle school. The enrollment is small for the grade band it covers, and the student body is composed predominantly of Black and Hispanic students, with very few white, Asian, or multiracial students enrolled. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not reported, so a family looking to understand the school's economic context would need to ask the school directly for that information. The same gap applies to students served under an Individualized Education Program and those classified as English learners. Those numbers would be helpful to anyone trying to gauge the scope of specialized support services at the school.
On the academic side, the picture is plain. Tennessee administers TNReady assessments to middle schoolers in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. At John Early Middle, the math proficiency rate was very low, and the science and social studies proficiency rates were also low. The English language arts result was suppressed, meaning the data was not reported publicly, likely because the count of students tested or proficient fell below a state disclosure threshold. The school's participation rates were high, above the threshold that would raise a flag about whether most students were tested. When placed alongside other districts in Davidson County, the school's overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint, meaning its combined test results across subjects trail a typical peer in the same county.
Because the school serves only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to examine, and no data on chronic absenteeism was reported. The available metrics are limited to what the state assessment system captures.
The school is located in Nashville, a fast-growing major city that functions as Tennessee's capital and a hub for healthcare, music industry, publishing, and higher education. Nashville's housing market carries a high cost of living relative to many parts of the state, with home values running well above the state benchmark and rents climbing modestly year over year. The 30-year mortgage rate environment typical of the broader national picture means monthly housing costs are high. The price-to-income ratio suggests that owning a home in this zip code requires a considerable income. For a family considering a move to the attendance zone, these numbers matter. The school itself sits in a part of the city that is fully integrated into the urban fabric, with access to Nashville's public transit system, cultural institutions, and major employers.
The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes within Metro Nashville Public Schools that were publicly recorded in the search performed. Families should check the district's own communications for updates on zoning, programming, or leadership shifts that could affect John Early Middle directly.
For a family evaluating this school, the academic data is the central fact. Proficiency rates across tested subjects are low, and the school's performance relative to other Davidson County districts places it below the middle tier. This is a straightforward signal that a parent would want to investigate further what academic supports are in place, whether there are intervention programs for students who are behind grade level, and what the school's track record is for moving students toward proficiency over their three years in middle school. The small enrollment may appeal to families who want a school where their child is not one of hundreds in a grade, but the trade-off in measured academic outcomes is clear. The demographic composition is heavily Black and Hispanic, which may reflect the surrounding neighborhood, and a family should consider what peer environment they are looking for in a middle school. Without data on special education or English learner services, a parent with a child who needs those supports will need to reach out to the school to understand capacity and staffing.
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