John Early Middle

Summary:

John Early Middle is a public middle school located in Nashville, Tennessee, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 174 students. The school has a predominantly African American student population, with 85.63% of students identifying as African American in the 2022-2023 school year. Despite its relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio, John Early Middle has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in Davidson County and the state of Tennessee.

John Early Middle significantly underperforms compared to the Davidson County and Tennessee averages across all subject areas and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 7.1% of students at John Early Middle were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 24.5% in Davidson County and 35.9% statewide. The school's high concentration of African American students, who have consistently lower academic achievement than their white peers at surrounding schools like Meigs Middle and Rose Park Middle, is a key factor contributing to the school's persistent underperformance.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio at John Early Middle, the school has continued to struggle academically. This suggests that factors beyond just funding and staffing, such as curriculum, instructional practices, and school culture, may be contributing to the school's persistent underperformance. Addressing the underlying issues at John Early Middle will require a multifaceted approach that goes beyond just resources and instead focuses on developing effective instructional practices, fostering a positive school culture, and providing targeted support to students and teachers.

Detail:

Public, Magnet 6-8

1000 Cass ST
Nashville, TN 37208

(615) 291-6369

District: Davidson County

SchoolDigger Rank:
575^th of 587 Tennessee Middle Schools

Students who attend John Early Middle usually attend:

High:

Pearl-Cohn High

Feeder schools for John Early Middle:

Elementary:	Jones Elementary
	Robert Churchwell Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 9.3

Number of students: 174

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.6%

Hispanic:

9.8%

White:

3.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details John Early Middle ranks worse than 98% of middle schools in Tennessee. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 6.01. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John Early Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks John Early Middle 575^th of 587 Tennessee public middle schools. (See John Early Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Male students:

African American students:

Davidson County:

SchoolDigger ranks Davidson County 123^rd of 140 Tennessee school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for John Early Middle

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Rank History for all students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile
2010	6.43	430^th	435	1.1%
2011	7.74	449^th	462	2.8%
2012	18.71	414^th	466	11.2%
2013	11.82	457^th	475	3.8%
2014	5.21	473^rd	485	2.5%
2015	9.95	475^th	492	3.5%
2017	15.38	340^th	362	6.1%
2018	18.11	482^nd	563	14.4%
2019	22.62	466^th	574	18.8%
2021	7.61	550^th	576	4.5%
2022	6.84	559^th	569	1.8%
2023	6.75	577^th	594	2.9%
2024	6.01	575^th	587	2.0%

See the entire list of Tennessee Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile
2018	16.92	436^th	481	9.4%
2019	11.78	471^st	490	3.9%
2022	12.81	468^th	495	5.5%
2023	9.19	509^th	514	1.0%

See the entire list of Best Tennessee Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile
2019	40.94	323^rd	529	38.9%
2022	8.04	530^th	552	4.0%
2023	7.20	544^th	560	2.9%

See the entire list of Best Tennessee Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile
2019	12.97	477^th	523	8.8%
2021	12.78	469^th	529	11.3%
2022	7.85	527^th	540	2.4%
2023	8.85	531^st	557	4.7%
2024	10.12	528^th	560	5.7%

See the entire list of Best Tennessee Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile
2018	12.79	273^rd	284	3.9%
2019	17.71	262^nd	293	10.6%
2022	14.76	285^th	299	4.7%
2023	13.37	309^th	316	2.2%
2024	13.35	306^th	318	3.8%

See the entire list of Best Tennessee Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at John Early Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	TN State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	80.38	62^nd	481	87.1%
2019	93.79	19^th	484	96.1%

See the entire list of Best Tennessee Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Tennessee Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Tennessee Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

by a parent
Wednesday, March 3, 2021

The teachers are crapy and when u report things to them they do nothing . You end up having to call the school board. The teachers sit on their phones instead of teaching our kids. It's a horrible school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for John Early Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2002	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	442	442
2003	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	442	442
2004	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	404	404
2005	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	343	343
2006	7	275	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	283
2007	10	237	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	248
2008	8	211	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	222
2009	11	238	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	251
2010	4	346	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	353
2011	10	298	3	1	0	0	0	0	312
2012	52	365	8	8	0	0	1	0	434
2013	64	427	12	1	0	0	1	0	505
2014	46	446	8	12	0	0	4	0	516
2015	47	407	12	12	0	0	4	0	482
2016	44	373	11	18	0	0	2	0	448
2017	39	325	9	17	0	0	1	0	391
2018	29	303	5	16	0	0	2	0	355
2019	20	229	10	15	0	0	1	0	275
2020	7	253	6	36	0	0	3	0	305
2021	9	241	3	21	0	0	3	0	277
2022	4	156	3	16	0	0	2	0	181
2023	6	149	1	17	0	0	1	0	174

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John Early Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	404	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	343	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	283	18.8	15.1	n/a
2007	248	17.0	14.6	75.4
2008	222	18.0	12.3	80.6
2009	251	18.0	13.9	63.7
2010	353	18.6	18.9	53.8
2011	312	29.3	10.6	99
2012	434	32.0	13.5	83.4
2013	505	37.0	13.6	85
2014	516	39.0	13.2	88.8
2015	482	38.0	12.6	85.7
2016	448	37.0	12.1	80.1
2017	391	29.0	13.4	n/a
2018	355	26.7	13.2	n/a
2019	275	23.0	11.9	n/a
2020	305	17.0	17.9	n/a
2021	277	26.3	10.5	n/a
2022	181	17.3	10.4	n/a
2023	174	18.6	9.3	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio John Early Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2003	442	n/a	n/a	n/a
2004	404	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	343	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	283	18.8	15.1	n/a
2007	248	17.0	14.6	75.4
2008	222	18.0	12.3	80.6
2009	251	18.0	13.9	63.7
2010	353	18.6	18.9	53.8
2011	312	29.3	10.6	99
2012	434	32.0	13.5	83.4
2013	505	37.0	13.6	85
2014	516	39.0	13.2	88.8
2015	482	38.0	12.6	85.7
2016	448	37.0	12.1	80.1
2017	391	29.0	13.4	n/a
2018	355	26.7	13.2	n/a
2019	275	23.0	11.9	n/a
2020	305	17.0	17.9	n/a
2021	277	26.3	10.5	n/a
2022	181	17.3	10.4	n/a
2023	174	18.6	9.3	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for John Early Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,274 (7.9%)	$13,945 (86.5%)	$16,122
2020	$916 (6.8%)	$11,726 (86.8%)	$13,503
2021	$2,394 (16.5%)	$11,788 (81.5%)	$14,467
2022	$2,868 (13.6%)	$16,641 (79.0%)	$21,062
2023	$2,865 (12.4%)	$18,864 (81.5%)	$23,144

Data source: Tennessee Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on John Early Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 466^th of 574 Middle schools	Ranks 577^th of 594 Middle schools	16%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (John Early Middle)	11.4	11.9	0.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Davidson County)	25.8	26	0.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Tennessee)	35.4	36.1	0.7%
8th Grade Social Studies (John Early Middle)	31.8	6.5	25.3%
8th Grade Social Studies (Davidson County)	27.9	24.8	3.1%
8th Grade Social Studies (Tennessee)	41.5	41.6	0.1%
All Grades English Language Arts (John Early Middle)	12.8	7.4	5.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Davidson County)	25.9	27.4	1.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Tennessee)	33.7	36.6	2.9%
All Grades Social Studies (John Early Middle)	14.4	9.5	4.9%
All Grades Social Studies (Davidson County)	27.7	29.9	2.2%
All Grades Social Studies (Tennessee)	40.9	43.9	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	275	174	36.7%
African American	229	149	34.9%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	10	1	90%
Hispanic	15	17	13.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	20	6	70%
Two or More Races	1	1

Schools Near John Early Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				TNReady Mathematics (2024)					TNReady English Language Arts (2024)					TNReady Science (2024)					TNReady Social Studies (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 7th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 8th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 7th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 8th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science 7th Grade	TNReady Science 8th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 7th Grade	TNReady Social Studies 8th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John Early Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1000 Cass ST	Nashville	37208	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 291-6369	174	19	9.3		6 (3.4%)	149 (85.6%)	17 (9.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	6	575^th of 587 public middle schools	2.0%		6.7	577^th of 594 public middle schools	2.9%	2		7.1		5.6			5.4		5.6					11.1	5.3			9.3		$23,144	$2,865	$18,865
Haynes Middle	Public	6-8	510 West Trinity LN	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 262-6688	291	21	14.1		25 (8.6%)	231 (79.4%)	27 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	5.6	578^th of 587 public middle schools	1.5%		4.8	589^th of 594 public middle schools	0.8%	11		5.8	5.8	5.6	5.8		11.6			7.0			8.1	5.6	6.1	5.8	16.3		8.6	$18,955	$2,741	$15,192
Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	5-8	3500 John Mallette DR	Nashville	37218	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 291-6515	276	21	13.0		26 (9.4%)	222 (80.4%)	17 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	27.4	431^st of 587 public middle schools	26.6%		20.3	470^th of 594 public middle schools	20.9%	39	23.5	22.6	22.1	17.1	21.2	30.0	36.9	22.1	15.8	26.1	25.5	32.1	18.4	19.7	24.0	46.4	24.7	19.7	30.8	$21,126	$3,658	$16,342
Head Middle	Public, Magnet	5-8	1830 Jo Johnston AVE	Nashville	37203	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(615) 329-8160	521	30	17.1		162 (31.1%)	273 (52.4%)	36 (6.9%)	34 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	74.6	107^th of 587 public middle schools	81.8%		57.2	224^th of 594 public middle schools	62.3%	117	66.0	61.6	42.5	31.9	56.2	67.9	62.7	50.7	33.3	58.3	73.9	61.2	50.0	35.9	59.9	62.7	32.4	23.1	47.9	$16,936	$1,777	$14,637
KIPP Academy Nashville	Public, Charter	5-8	123 Douglas AVE	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Davidson County	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 514-6266	381	7	54.4		8 (2.1%)	212 (55.6%)	152 (39.9%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	52.8	251^st of 587 public middle schools	57.2%		37.2	358^th of 594 public middle schools	39.7%	107	16.0	24.5	35.9	46.4	30.7	19.4	26.8	33.7	39.2	29.8	19.1	22.4	42.9	39.2	30.8	55.1	42.9	49.0	49.1	$18,409	$3,610	$13,204
Moses McKissack Middle	Public	6-8	915 38th Ave N	Nashville	37209	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 329-8170	172	15	11.4		5 (2.9%)	152 (88.4%)	8 (4.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.5%)	6.9	569^th of 587 public middle schools	3.1%		3.9	593^rd of 594 public middle schools	0.2%	24		14.7		6.3	7.4		11.8	5.0		5.8		15.6			5.8	5.9	7.5			$24,845	$2,375	$21,469
Meigs Middle	Public, Magnet	5-8	713 Ramsey ST	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	Yes	No	No	(615) 271-3222	695	36	19.1		437 (62.9%)	119 (17.1%)	48 (6.9%)	60 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (4.3%)	99.6	3^rd of 587 public middle schools	99.5%		98.2	8^th of 594 public middle schools	98.7%	5	92.8	94.7	93.8	83.1	92.4	92.3		94.8	86.1	92.5	86.2	94.1	91.3		90.6	85.3		84.4	88.6	$15,751	$1,711	$13,452
Brick Church: A LEAD Public School	Public, Charter	5-8	2835 Brick Church PIKE	Nashville	37207	Davidson County	Achievement School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 262-6665	229	12	19.0		8 (3.5%)	183 (79.9%)	31 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)	10.1	545^th of 587 public middle schools	7.2%		7.1	573^rd of 594 public middle schools	3.5%	28	16.7	14.7	16.7	13.5	15.3	6.7	8.0	11.1	5.8	8.3		17.3	15.3	15.4	14.4	14.7	20.8	13.5	16.6
East Nashville Middle	Public	5-8	110 Gallatin RD	Nashville	37206	Davidson County	Davidson County	No	No	No	Yes	(615) 262-6670	261	20	13.2		10 (3.8%)	230 (88.1%)	5 (1.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	10.5	539^th of 587 public middle schools	8.2%		8.8	557^th of 594 public middle schools	6.2%	18	14.3	5.1	11.0	25.0	13.4	11.1	7.6	9.8	9.7	9.2	7.1	10.1	18.3	13.9	13.4	5.1	20.7	23.6	16.3	$21,187	$2,801	$17,415
Nashville Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	1300 56th Ave N	Nashville	37209	Davidson County	Davidson County	Yes	No	No	Yes	(615) 921-8440	203	3	67.6		12 (5.9%)	84 (41.4%)	99 (48.8%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	24.5	451^st of 587 public middle schools	23.2%		33.8	386^th of 594 public middle schools	35.0%	65	15.8	18.2	15.1	35.6	22.6	16.7	17.9	13.5	13.3	15.1	35.0	26.8	28.8	26.7	28.2	25.0	34.0	33.3	30.8	$22,694	$5,498	$16,023

Frequently Asked Questions about John Early Middle

How many students attend John Early Middle?

In the 2022-23 school year, 174 students attended John Early Middle.

What is the racial makeup of John Early Middle?

Students at John Early Middle are 86% African American, 10% Hispanic, 3% White.

What high school do graduates of John Early Middle attend?

Students who attend John Early Middle usually go on to attend Pearl-Cohn High

What district is John Early Middle in?

Davidson County

Is John Early Middle a good school?

John Early Middle ranks in the bottom 2.0% of Tennessee middle schools.

Rate John Early Middle!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.