The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Social studies. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on John F. Kennedy Middle
John F. Kennedy Middle serves grades five through eight in Antioch, a rapidly growing and diverse neighborhood southeast of downtown Nashville. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits within Davidson County’s public school system. The school has a large enrollment for its grade band, with roughly similar numbers of students in each grade from fifth through eighth.
The student body is highly diverse. The largest groups are Hispanic and Black students, together making up the great majority of enrollment, with White students as the third-largest group and smaller shares of Asian students and students of two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners were not reported in the source material, so a parent should expect to ask the school directly about those supports.
Academically, Kennedy Middle’s state testing results are below statewide benchmarks. On the TNReady assessments, proficiency rates across the four tested subjects—math, English language arts, science, and social studies—each fell below three in ten students meeting the proficient or above threshold. English language arts was the lowest area, with about one in eight students scoring proficient or above. Math and science were similarly low, while social studies was the strongest of the four subjects but still saw only about one in four students reaching proficiency. Participation rates on all tests were high, so the results reflect nearly the entire tested population. There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not serve high school grades.
Compared to other districts within Davidson County, Kennedy Middle’s overall proficiency across subjects lands above the midpoint of the small cohort of districts that had data available for this measure. That said, the comparison set is limited, and the school’s proficiency numbers themselves remain low in absolute terms. A parent looking for a school with strong academic outcomes on state tests would want to investigate what specific supports the school offers for students who are below grade level.
Antioch itself is a car-dependent suburban area that has seen explosive residential growth since the 1970s, with many apartment complexes and ongoing commercial redevelopment centered around the former Hickory Hollow Mall. The neighborhood is home to major employers like Community Health Systems, Asurion, and Bridgestone’s IT service center, and it continues to grow with new mixed-use projects. The civic anchors include a combined library and recreation center at the mall redevelopment and the Ford Ice Center. There is no traditional downtown; street life is concentrated around commercial corridors and redeveloped properties. The built environment is spread out, and schools sit on separated campuses. Housing values and rents in the area are moderate relative to national averages, though the local housing market has seen some softening. The neighborhood’s rapid growth means new families and students are likely to arrive each year.
The district itself, Davidson County, operates Metro Nashville Public Schools. No recent district-level changes with lasting impact on parents were found in publicly reported information, so the school’s immediate context appears stable from that standpoint. Information on course access, discipline rates, and staffing was not available in the data provided. A parent exploring Kennedy Middle would want to ask about after-school offerings, special education services, English learner supports, and the school’s approach to discipline and climate, as those details are not captured here.
Overall, John F. Kennedy Middle serves a very diverse, large middle school population in a growing suburban part of Nashville. Its academic proficiency on state assessments is low across all subjects, a pattern a family would want to explore further with the school to understand what academic interventions and enrichment are in place. The school sits in a neighborhood that is actively redeveloping and offers many commercial and recreational resources, though it is car-dependent and lacks a walkable downtown core.
See more original research from School Decision →