Here's how suburban school districts in the Memphis area did on recent statewide tests
Last week, the Tennessee Department of Education released the latest Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program scores, and it touted modest growth seen throughout the state.
The percentage of Tennessee students scoring proficiently in English Language Arts rose from 38% in 2023 to 39% in 2024, while the percentage of science students scoring proficiently rose from 43% in 2023 to 44% in 2024.
Many of the statewide averages, however, were bested by the scores of suburban school districts in the Memphis area. Here’s how they did, according to data released by TDOE.
Collierville Schools
Collierville Schools saw gains in numerous categories.
In 2023, 65.1% of third- through eighth-graders scored proficiently on the ELA section of the test, and in 2024, that percentage rose to 66.6%. The number of third graders scoring proficiently in the ELA section fell from 74.5% to 68.9% year-over-year, a drop in a grade level that’s been emphasized by school districts across the country.
But while the third-grade score decreased, the fourth-grade proficiency rate rose from 77% to 80.6%, and the eighth-grade proficiency rate rose from 45.6% to 51.8%.
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Math scores also rose, with 69.1% of third- through eighth-graders scoring proficiently in the math section in 2023, and that number rising to 73.3% in 2024. In the Biology I section ― taken primarily by high school freshmen and sophomores ― scores rose from 65.8% to 71.7%.
The English I test, typically taken by freshmen, saw Collierville scores drop from 61.5% to 57.7%. But the English II test, typically taken by sophomores, saw scores increase from 68% to 70.3%.
Germantown Municipal School District
In 2023, third- through eighth-grade ELA proficiency rates in the Germantown Municipal School District reached 69.4%. In 2024, that number increased slightly, to 70.1%. The third-grade ELA proficiency rate hovered around the same place it was in last year. In 2023 the rate was 79.9%, and in 2024 it was 79.6%.
The third- through eighth-grade proficiency rate also rose in math, from 72.3% to 75.1%.
High schoolers fared well, too. According to state data, 68% of Biology I students scored proficiently in 2023, and in 2024, that number increased to 71.8%. English I proficiency rates made a major jump, going from 53.7% to 61.3%, year-over-year, and English II scores decreased, but barely. The proficiency rate was 74.6% in 2023 and 74% in 2024.
Bartlett City Schools
At Bartlett City Schools, 45.9% of third- through eighth-graders scored proficiently on the ELA test in 2023. In 2024, that number increased slightly, to 47.5%.
The third-grade ELA proficiency rate rose from 48.8% to 52.8% year-over-year.
Math scores also saw an increase, as 51.3% of third- through eighth-grade students scored proficiently on the math section in 2023, and 53.9% did so in 2024. Biology I rates rose from 58.8% to 59.9%, while English I rates dropped from 48.4% to 47.6%, and English II rates ticked down from 67.6% to 66.1%.
Arlington Community Schools
Last year, 62.9% of third- through eighth-graders scored proficiently on the ELA section at Arlington Community Schools. This year, that number grew to 64%. The proficiency rate for third graders in 2023 was 77.5%, and this year it was 76.9%.
The third- through eighth-grade proficiency rate in math increased slightly, from 69.7% to 70%, while the Biology I rate rose significantly, from 59.5% to 64.9%.
The English I rate rose from 55.7% to 56.2%, though the English II rate decreased from 78.2% to 74.5%.
Lakeland School System
In 2023, 60.4% of third- through eighth-graders in the Lakeland School System scored proficiently on the ELA section. This year, that number rose to 64.1%. Significantly contributing to that boost were the third graders, whose proficiency rate rose from 70% to 74.9%.
In 2023, 67.3% of third- through eighth-graders scored proficiently on the math section, and in 2024, that number decreased to 64.1%.
The Biology I rate rose from 59.2% in 2023 to 60.6% in 2024, while the English I rate decreased from 64.2% to 61.2%.
Millington Municipal Schools
Millington Municipal Schools saw a big jump in third-grade reading scores.
The number of Millington third graders scoring proficiently on the ELA section rose significantly this year. In 2023, the rate was 35%, and in 2024, it jumped to 42.2%. That helped contribute to an overall proficiency rate increase for third- through eighth-graders, with the number rising from 30.3% to 32.1%.
In math, third- through eighth-grader proficiency rates rose from 27.3% to 29.6%.
The Biology I rate rose from 33.2% to 37%. The English I rate dropped from 27% to 18.3%, and the English II rate dropped from 45.2% to 43.3%.
John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis suburban school districts TCAP test scores results released
